TLINGIT OR HAIDA DAGGER POMMEL

Edward Hancock, New York

George Terasaki, New York, acquired from the above in 1981

The design work in the raven of this dagger pommel shows characteristics of both Haida and Tlingit work, and could have originated among either of these groups. The human face at the back of the raven's head in particular suggests Haida style in the formation of the eyesockets. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Tlingit and Haida work exhibited a lot more in common than was the case by the time of the second half of the nineteenth century. The profuse inlay of small abalone shell pieces sets this pommel apart from many others.

Steven C. Brown