DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42067#0240
212
Art of the North Pacific Coast of North America
are the ears and above these, the flippers. Just under the talons of the
eagle is found the inverted tail of a fish or aquatic mammal, which
presumably belongs to the figure at the bottom, although it seems
rather small. It seems doubtful whether the upper face, to which
belong the two hands just under it and the legs, in squatting posi-
tion below the tail, is that of a woman because there ought to be
a large labret in the lower lip. Furthermore, the face has animal
ears so that it does not seem likely that the intention of the artist
was to represent a woman.
It is true that in some other cases in which this same story is
represented,1 the person sitting on the back of the killer-whale has
no labret, while in other cases it is shown. Obviously in this case
the symbolism is not clear enough to enable an Indian who does
not know the artist or who does not know the meaning of the
carving, to interpret it correctly.
The uncertainty of interpretation becomes the greater the more
fragmentary the figure. A set of gambling sticks which in 1897 I
submitted to the best carver and painter (Charles Edensaw) among
the Haida, could not be satisfactorily interpreted by him (figs. 200,
201). For example: Number 35 he recognized as a series of three
dorsal fins without being able to tell to what animal they belonged.
Number 36 he explained as a shoulder on the right, and a tail on
the left, but he was unable to identify the particular animal. Num-
ber 37 he explained, hesitatingly, as a mosquito. For the following
group he felt quite unable to give any satisfactory explanation.
The uncertainty of explanation appears particularly clearly in the
interpretation of Chilkat blankets. I give here a few examples ac-
cording to Lieutenant George T. Emmons.2
The blanket shown in fig. 202 represents a bear with young.
The large central figure represents the male bear; the two in-
1 See Swanton, The Haida, pi. 15, fig. 1 where the woman is shown without
labret while in the specimen pi. 14, fig. 5, she wears a large labret.
2 George T. Emmons, The Chilkat Blanket, Memoirs of the American Museum
of Natural History, Vol. 3. Part 4, N. Y. 1907, pp. 352, 369, 372, 377, and 387.
Art of the North Pacific Coast of North America
are the ears and above these, the flippers. Just under the talons of the
eagle is found the inverted tail of a fish or aquatic mammal, which
presumably belongs to the figure at the bottom, although it seems
rather small. It seems doubtful whether the upper face, to which
belong the two hands just under it and the legs, in squatting posi-
tion below the tail, is that of a woman because there ought to be
a large labret in the lower lip. Furthermore, the face has animal
ears so that it does not seem likely that the intention of the artist
was to represent a woman.
It is true that in some other cases in which this same story is
represented,1 the person sitting on the back of the killer-whale has
no labret, while in other cases it is shown. Obviously in this case
the symbolism is not clear enough to enable an Indian who does
not know the artist or who does not know the meaning of the
carving, to interpret it correctly.
The uncertainty of interpretation becomes the greater the more
fragmentary the figure. A set of gambling sticks which in 1897 I
submitted to the best carver and painter (Charles Edensaw) among
the Haida, could not be satisfactorily interpreted by him (figs. 200,
201). For example: Number 35 he recognized as a series of three
dorsal fins without being able to tell to what animal they belonged.
Number 36 he explained as a shoulder on the right, and a tail on
the left, but he was unable to identify the particular animal. Num-
ber 37 he explained, hesitatingly, as a mosquito. For the following
group he felt quite unable to give any satisfactory explanation.
The uncertainty of explanation appears particularly clearly in the
interpretation of Chilkat blankets. I give here a few examples ac-
cording to Lieutenant George T. Emmons.2
The blanket shown in fig. 202 represents a bear with young.
The large central figure represents the male bear; the two in-
1 See Swanton, The Haida, pi. 15, fig. 1 where the woman is shown without
labret while in the specimen pi. 14, fig. 5, she wears a large labret.
2 George T. Emmons, The Chilkat Blanket, Memoirs of the American Museum
of Natural History, Vol. 3. Part 4, N. Y. 1907, pp. 352, 369, 372, 377, and 387.