Boas, Franz: Primitive art (Oslo , Leipzig [u.a.], 1927)

Art of the North Pacific Coast of North America

219

adapts the animal form to the object he intends to decorate. First
of all, we will direct our attention to a series of specimens which
show that he endeavors, whenever possible, to represent the whole
animal on the object that
he desires to decorate.
Fig. 211 is a club used
for killingseals and halibut
before they are landed in
the canoe. The carving
represents the killer-whale

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Fig. 211. Wood carving representing the killer-
whale, Tlingit.


The dorsal fin, the principal symbol of
the killer-whale, cannot be omitted. If placed in an upright position
on the club, the implement would assume an awkward shape. There-
fore the artist bent it down along the side of the body, so that it
covers the flipper. The tail of the whale would have interfered with
the handle, and has been turned for-
ward and lies flat over the back.
The distortion of the body has been
carried still further in the handle of a
spoon (fig. 176 a, p. 195) which re-
presents the same animal. The large
head of the whale, to which the flippers
are attached is near the bowl of the
spoon. The body has been twisted back-
ward so that it is completely doubled up.
Therefore, the surface pattern of the tail
is carved on the back of the spoon, and
the two projections just below the mouth
are the two tips of the whale’s tail. The
dorsal fin extends upward from the head
of the whale, between the legs of the
man who forms the tip of the handle.



Fig. 213.

Fig. 212. Wood carving representing
dorsal fin of the killer-whale, Tlingit.
Fig. 213. Model of a totem pole
representing a shark, Haida.

Fig. 213 is a small totem pole representing the shark. The tip
of its tail forms the top of the pole, while the face is placed at
its lower end. Since most of the symbols of the shark are found