Skip to main content

Headdress Frontlet

CultureTlingit, Southeast Alaska
Dateca. 1820
MediumWood, pigment, abalone shell, and human hair
DimensionsOverall: 7 × 6 1/4 × 3 3/4 inches (17.78 × 15.88 × 9.53 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number31-125/33
On View
On view
Gallery Location
  • 206
DescriptionA representation of a hawk.Gallery Label
Worn on the forehead as part of a ceremonial headdress, this striking mask-like image represents one of the helping spirits of a Tlingit shaman. The object enabled the healer to assume the powers of the spirit helper who was being called upon for assistance. It also embodied the concept of transformation between human and bird. Although the features are stylized according to Tlingit sculptural conventions, this small powerful carving gives physical presence to the supernatural and resonates with a sense of life.
Provenance

Lieutenant George T. Emmons (1852-1945), by 1920 [1];

Purchased from Emmons by the Museum of the American Indian-Heye Foundation, New York, no. 97875, 1920-1931 [2];

Transferred from the Museum of the American Indian-Heye Foundation, New York, to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1931 [3].

NOTES:

[1] National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, object documentation, accession lot 1920.0164.

[2] The Museum of the American Indian-Heye Foundation was founded in 1916 by George Heye (1874-1957) and opened to the public in New York City in 1922. In 1989, the remaining collection was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution and became part of the National Museum of the American Indian.

[3] In 1931 the Nelson-Atkins co-sponsored two archaeological expeditions with the Heye Foundation: one to Colombia that was directed by Gregory Mason, and a second to the Orinoco River region of Venezuela, directed by Herbert S. Dickey. The partage agreement between the two institutions specified that if the value of the found objects did not match the dollar amount invested by the Nelson-Atkins, the Heye Foundation would transfer objects from its own collection to the Nelson-Atkins to make up the difference, while also giving the Nelson-Atkins an opportunity to purchase additional objects from the Heye Foundation. When the archaeological excavations failed to meet expectations, this was one of a group of objects that were transferred/purchased from the Heye Foundation’s collection to the Nelson-Atkins.

Published References
Torrence, Gaylord, ed. Continuum: North American Native Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.


overall oblique
Albert Edward Edenshaw
ca. 1850
2009.41.4
overall oblique
ca. 1870
2009.41.3
Health Guardian Doll
ca. 1800; clothing ca. 1860
79-8/2
Dance Skirt
ca. 1870
2015.26.16
Woman's Bag
ca. 1850
2003.29.2.A-H
Raven Hat
ca. 1880
49.2008.6
Presentation Cane
Charles Edenshaw
ca. 1900-1910
2009.41.11
Presentation Cane
Charles Edenshaw
ca. 1900-1910
2009.41.12
overall
Charles Edenshaw
ca. 1885
2009.41.13
Bear Effigy Bowl
ca. 1820
2001.3.96
Emperor Jinmu
ca. 1900
2022.39.9.1-4