Description:

Please note this item falls under the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act and is not eligible for international shipping. Native American, Alaska Native, & Native Hawaiian objects are only eligible to ship within the United States. If you live outside of the USA and you bid/win, your bid will be cancelled. Please bid accordingly.

Native American, Pacific Northwest Coast, Tlingit / Haida, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. A traditional stick game carved from wood with a hide pouch has a bone toggle, and the surface is painted red and black - note that the faces on the sticks match the formline motifs on the hide. There are 20 sticks - incised and painted with bands of red and burned / inked black on the formline animal motifs- like playing cards, sets were decorated to distinguish them from each other. Haida, Tlingit, and other tribes in this region had many forms of gambling games involving assorted wood and bone pieces. The Tlingit name for the game was "ahl-kar" and this version was primarily guessing the marks on hidden sticks or what stick would be drawn first from the pouch, and bets could be placed by players and spectators. The hide pouch when laid flat also acted as a playing mat and has a pocket on the verso for storing the sticks. Size of hide: 18" L x 7.5" W (45.7 cm x 19 cm); case: 21.125" L x 17.125" W (53.7 cm x 43.5 cm)

Provenance: ex-private West Jordon, Utah, USA collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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#178512

  • Condition: Minor wear and fading to pigments on sticks, otherwise intact. Hide is dark with staining and discoloration commensurate with age and use, otherwise intact. Sticks are adhered to each other with adhesive, and sticks and hide pouch are mounted in a modern display case.

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August 4, 2023 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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