Northern Plains area. The drum has a red painted patch glued onto drumhead. The design is a buffalo with a zigzag line around it but no power lines emanating directly from the buffalo. There are red areas of pigment on drumhead. Wool and hide fringe dangles from drum. Remnants of silk ribbons are attached with nails along the edge. It has a knot in the hide ties in the middle back. This was possibly made as a showpiece as would have been very awkward to hold and play. This is a drum that would have ceremonial significance These are specialized.

Dick S. Ramsay Fund

Special Improvement Fund

Stewart Culin collected this side chair in Zuni Pueblo in 1904, calling it an “Ancient kneeling chair." The chair is pieced together from 11 planks and 4 square posts. Its ornamentation is limited to horizontal grooves and soft scalloping on the lower rails. The crest rail displays a series of peaks along its upper edge, apparently cut across previously inscribed horizontal lines. Below the lines is a series of irregularly, squarish gouge holes. The rear stiles' finials are stepped, and their top set-back shows a rough area where a segment may have broken off. The front stiles show grooving and exposed top ends that may have been covered by a forward seat plank. Nails secure the seat planks to the frame, but rails and stiles are joined with open mortise-and-tendon joints. Although Culin interpreted the stepped finials as Indian cloud forms In Spain, Islamic, North African stepped designs were also common forms. Other Hispanic traits include the mortis-and-joint construction and rectangular forming of its members and the use of staining. It has been suggested that it also demonstrates European proportions: about 2/3 vara by 1/2 vara (Spanish yard). If the finials had not broken off it would resemble the scrolled rear stiles of modest Spanish renaissance chairs. Scholar Ramon Gutierrez raises questions regarding its meaning to Pueblo culture. He argues that Franciscans studied and manipulated Pueblo society to establish Christian authority and values and therefore the chair may represent an effort to impose Catholic-Spanish culture on the part of an unwilling native maker. If "always offered" to a guest of Euro-culture the chair may have meant respect for or control of that visitor, depending on the social, political, and gender status of both host and guest within Pueblo culture in the 1800s.

Transformation masks such as this Thunderbird belong to the sky world, which consists of Ancestral Beings that are transported to the heavens from where they can return as material beings in recognizable form such as human. The Kwak waka’ wakw people say when this bird ruffles its feathers they cause thunder and when they blink their eyes lightning flashes. Each thunderbird is associated with a specific village group or lineage, a specific place of origin unique to each and its details are carefully guarded. Masks can be owned individually or by a family but rights are always inherent, flowing from one generation to the next. The Namgis people relate that this thunderbird flew out of the heavens to assist a man who had transformed into a large halibut. When finished assisting he removed his headdress and winged cape and sent them back to the sky world becoming human. The mask may be worn on the forehead with the dancer’s face showing or it may cover the face to indicate the duality of man and bird. The performer wears a full costume of representing the bird. The mask would be danced during a Winter Ceremony, called a Potlatch, where songs, dances and rituals are performed and gifts may be given. When not used such masks are wrapped carefully and hidden away. When worn and danced and closed the mask portrays a bird head with a large yellow beak. When open, the head and large beak divide, expand, and become a full-bodied bird with outstretched wings. Each wing contains a linear image of a sisiutl or lightning snake. At the center of the full-bodied bird is a human head. Above the head is a small seated figure and below it is still another bird. Opening and closing the mask would add a spectacular effect during the dances. When the mask was first collected it had cord riggings to open its parts. It was collected from the Gigilgam lineage of the Nimpkish. The mask is fragile but stable. There are scattered pigment losses. Red cedar ruff originally surrounded the mask when it was worn for performances.

This mask may be part of the Nuu-chah-nulth "wild man" dance performances.

Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund

Sheath for a large knife of rawhide partly painted red with beaded decoration in white, orchid, blues, red and yellow. The sheath is also studded with a few nails along the edge. A triangle is cut out from the hide on one side. This is part of the group purchased as belonging to Red Cloud.

This spoon is carved in two pieces. The handle is carved, the bowl is plain. Detail description follows: The design begins at the tip of the handle with a segmented cone (possibly representing the rank symbol for the figure below). This cone rests upon the head of a long, thin, standing figure with large, down-slanted eyes and a protruding tongue held with the hands. The figure stands upon a section of a cylinder of four, elaborated rectangles carved on the side. Below this is an animal head with a long beak-like nose that curls down towards the mouth. The head might represent a hawk. In the open mouth of this head a double row of teeth is clearly indicated. Condition: good.

Mudhead kachina doll with 4 knobs on head, protruding eyes and mouth. Dressed in a black cloth dress tied around the waist with string and a black scarf around the neck also tied together with string. The arms are carved separately and attached with nails. The body is painted in purple-brown paint. Condition: Good. Nail holes in the bottom of the feet, probably from a previous mount.