Tlingit Polychromed Wood Headdress

with domed helmut emerging to an effigy, depicting a raven, finely carved with a curving beak, slightly parted to reveal a rectangular implement, possibly a representation of the sun, incised with exaggerated nostrils, and pointed oval eye rims centering large hand cut plaques of abalone shell as pupils beneath thick arching brows, the crown inserted with tufts of dark brown hair, painted against the natural ground in vermilion red on the brows and beak, and black on the eye frames; the interior of deeply hollowed section with fine tool markings.

Heye Foundation, 13/4045
Deaccessioned to Rassiga Gallery, February 15, 1969
Acquired from Pierre Langlois, Paris

Very good overall condition with typical wear for its age. Tip of the upper beak has been broken and re-glued, possibly with a replaced piece of wood. Small piece of missing wood on the back of the helmut.
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For a closely related example identified as a Tlingit shaman's headdress, collected at Sitka by Ilia G. Vosnesenski in 1843 and in the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Leningrad (571-20), see Collins et al., 1973, p. 244, pl. 307.

For a discussion of the use of masks within the Tlingit culture see Brown, 2000, pp. 50–51: "Masks were seen as repositories of supernatural power. This is the case of masks used by Tlingit shamans (shamanic art is prominent in the northern province, especially among the Tlingit). Masks carved to represent animal, bird and human spirits that were controlled by a shaman, and whose power gave him the ability to cure illness, predict the future, or counteract the power of sorcerers are among the most dramatic examples of Northwest Coast art. Other shamanic objects – rattles, amulets, robes and headdresses, for example – are equally evocative and powerful.  Haida and Tsimshian shamans used similar wonderful objects in their practice. Their images are enigmatic, typical of shamanic objects, with meanings known clearly only to the individual shamans who owned them. In this respect they are similar to the paraphernalia of southern shamans and characteristic of Northwest Coast religious material in general."

Animal motifs in Northwest Coast masks are examined in Wardwell, 1996, p. 93: "Animals form an equally large proportion of beings shown in Northwest Coast shamanic art. Some are hybrid creatures of identifiable animals, while others are fantastic monsters that have no counterpart in nature... Many of the animals in shamanic art, however, represent animal species that can be readily identified, and the reasons for their use are well known."

For a discussion of the raven moiety crest see Jonaitis, 1986, pp. 72-74: "Having the largest brain relative to its body size of any bird, the raven learns quickly and, in captivity, can be taught an assortment of tricks. Very belligerent, the raven has been known to assemble into flocks to “mob” intruders such as owls, hawks, eagles, and even humans, by circling around them, shrieking and swooping until they leave. There are also reports that ravens have tossed rocks at those people who approached their nests too closely. Despite their aggressive behavior to certain creatures, ravens display friendliness to each other, seem able to communicate by an assortment of different sounds, and to appear to genuinely enjoy playing…Because the raven has a tendency to live near humans from whom it scavenges a great deal, the Tlingit have had ample opportunity to observe its behavior. Perhaps because it is so intelligent, the Tlingit believe that the raven can talk with ease to people, prognosticate the future, bring good news, warn of bad luck, and assist fisherman (de Laguna 1972:829). Even though they hunt other birds, the Tlingit do not hunt for and kill the raven (Krause 1956:125). This bird, which seems to have an unusual concern for human affairs, is also a remarkably complex mythic being…In myth, Raven could both benefit others and hurt them severely. For example, in much earlier times all the celestial bodies were kept locked in a box;’ Raven liberated them and thus gave mankind sunlight. He also taught humans to fish, hunt, and build."

Also see Sotheby's New York, October 2006, lots 17 and 37 for related masks collected in 1863 amongst the Tsimshian.