Lot 97
Tribal / Ethnographic,Native American, Pacific Northwest Coast between British Columbia and Alaska, Tlingit or Haida, ca. 1950 to 1970 CE. A large double-edged bronze dagger with a wooden handle depicting a bear head, its long neck wrapped with sinew of a creamy white hue, the bear's beautifully carved face with large eyes inlaid with iridescent abalone shell and painted with black outlines and sky blue surrounds, thick black brows, a protruding nose with flaring nostrils delineated in red and black, a wide toothy smile with abalone teeth, perky ears, and brown hair cascading behind. Daggers in this style have been created since the 1850s, usually passed from one chief to another. Custom stand. Size: 20.5" L x 3.125" W (52.1 cm x 7.9 cm); 22.625" H (57.5 cm) on stand
In the Northwest, the Bear is regarded as the ultimate protector of the animal kingdom. The Haida culture refers to the bear as their "Elder Kinsman"; hence, the animal was traditionally treated like an elite guest when killed. To demonstrate respect, eagle down feathers were sprinkled before it was brought in to the tribe.
Various legends tell of a bear abducting a Chief's daughter. According to the story, this woman of high status had been out in the woods picking berries,when she stepped on some Bear dung and cursed aloud, insulting the bear's cleanliness. Two nearby bears who heard her were upset and decided to teach her a lesson. One Bear magically transformed himself into a dashing young man who approached this woman, and convinced her to accompnay him to his mountain house. Upon falling in love with him, she too became partially Bear-like. The two married and had twin cubs - born resembling bears but could metamorphorse themselves into a human form just like their father.
When the woman's brothers found her, they retaliated by killing her husband. They all then returned to the village, only the two bear sons felt out of place and eventually returned to the forest. All Bear Clan members are said to descend from this woman and her two sons. Hence, it is believed that there is a bear within every one of us, and that we must accept and embrace this in our lives.
This piece is similar to the Tlingit "fighting dagger" in the "Art of the Northwest Coast" catalogue for the exhibition at the Robert H. Lowie Museum of Anthropology of the University of California, Berkeley (March 26-October 17, 1965), and would be a copy of a "potlatch" item.
Provenance: private Ventura County, California, USA collection
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#125054
- Condition: Minor surface wear, overall excellent.
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