X-RARE Shaman Transformation Gorget with35+ Pictographs! Native American Hopewell

Ancient Art, Antiques & Fine. Ancient Native American Shaman’s Copper Gorget. Estimated 35+ Images of Shaman Transformation Figures. I certify that this Ancient Copper Gorget was legally collected on private land with the owner’s permission prior to 1970 and no Native American caves or mounds were disturbed. This is an opportunity to legally own a Shaman’s Native American Copper Gorget that is estimated to be about 1500 to 2,200 years-old. (also incorrectly called the “Hopewell Culture”) is the term used to describe common aspects of the Native American culture that flourished along rivers in the northeastern and Midwestern United States from 200 BC to 500 AD. The Hopewell tradition was not a single culture or society, but a widely dispersed set of related populations, which were connected by a common network of trade routes. Native American Shaman’s Copper Gorget with at least 35+ Transformation Images, including. Shaman, Spirits, Hands, Animals, Birds, Insects, & Spirit Animals. Material: Copper hammered into a thin sheet, painted, and then punched with two suspension holes. Measurements: 2.93″ (74 mm) long x 1.69″ (43 mm) wide x. 04 (1.15 mm) thick. Very good period condition with no cleaning, repairs, or restorations, although the top edge appears to have broken off in antiquity. Exhibits signs of age such as surface wear, oxidation, lichen growth, and weathering. Original copper patina with leather knot still attached in one of the suspension holes. This piece came from a large, private collection of Native American artifacts in Pennsylvania, including Iroquois effigy clubs, Anasazi pottery, Mississippian, and Hopewell artifacts. Although the exact significance of the human, animal, and insect images, which had been painted on about 1,500 to 2,000 years-ago on both sides of this gorget pendant is unknown, it appears that it was owned by a shaman who was able to communicate with the Spirit World by transforming himself into an animal spirit. Both sides of the gorget have painted images that can still be faintly viewed, especially under magnification. On the obverse side of this gorget (with the side hole facing right), there appears to be at least eight (8) pictographs that were painted on to the once bright copper surface and are now covered over with lichen and copper oxidation, but they include. {See photos # 1, 4-6}. A standing Shaman man with legs separated and with his arms upraised to the Sun God. He appears to be wearing a feathered headdress, which was common for Shaman-see additional details in the Shaman section below. Underneath the Shaman on the lower right side, is a pair of raised hands with fingers. The hand was a symbol of possession or ownership, and in this case may represent spiritual ownership, perhaps signifying the Shaman’s close bond with his Spirit animal. Directly across from the Shaman, there appears to be an insect, possibly a cicada or a butterfly-you can see its tiny front legs and wings next to its elongated body. Above the butterfly or cicada? , there appears to be a small frog with 4 legs. And on the very top of this side, there appear to be 3 small pictographs positioned in a horizontal line that measures about 19 mm in length, but that I was unable to see clearly enough to identify the images. On the reverse side of this gorget (shown with the side hole facing left), one can see at least six (25) painted figures of. {See photos # 2, 8-12}. A seated Shaman with his arms raised and in transformation pose with his Spirit animals. He is depicted with a characteristic top-knot hairstyle–a distinguishing feature of Shamans throughout the Southeast, Woodlands, and even in the Great Plains. On this image of a Shaman, one can see his/her braided hair hanging from their shoulders to the ground. This painted figure appears to be in a state of altered consciousness as you can see a tiny stick figure of a human Spirit being carried to the skies by a string of perhaps 10 tiny birds as they transform the Shaman for his astral, out-of-body journey. There are a number of images coming from the mouth of the Shaman that appear to be two small animals (the largest is just 6 mm long) that could the Shaman’s Spirit Animals or his singing to contact them. An effigy of what appears to be another Spirit Animal that is painted below the Shaman. Across from the Shaman on the left side, there appears to be a large bird with its wings spread 23 mm, likely a majestic eagle, and from the size likely the Shaman’s primary Spirit Animal. {See photo # 8}. Above the Eagle, is another figure that appears to be a four-legged animal. On the lower right side, there are perhaps 19+ very tiny images of people or Spirit Ancestors? , a pot, raised hands, etc. These pictographic images are ridiculously small and had to be painted with a brush made from just a few strands of animal fur. Each shaman was believed to carry within him a number of animal spirits that directed and guided his judgements-oftentimes represented by a lizard, snake, animals, or birds. Decisions were made on the basis of advice supposedly received from such supernatural animal helpers. When a shaman has an out-of-body transformation into an animal or bird, these beings are not actual creatures, but spirits that take the form of the animal representing the need of the individual. Hopewell culture, notable ancient Indian culture of the east-central area of North America. It flourished from about 200 BC to 500 AD chiefly in what is now southern Ohio, with related groups in Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and New York. The name is derived from the Hopewell farm in Ross county, Ohio, where the first site that explored a group of burial mounds with extensive enclosures of banked earth was examined. The term Mound Builders, once applied to this culture, is now considered a misnomer. Later investigations revealed that the practice of constructing earth mounds was widespread and served greatly differing purposes. Hopewell villages often laid along rivers and streams. The inhabitants raised corn (maize) and possibly beans and squash, but still relied upon hunting and fishing and the gathering of wild nuts, fruits, seeds, and roots. The amount of pottery and ornamental stonework and metalwork that has been found suggests some division of labor; moreover, the nature and size of the earthworks at many sites suggest that forms of public labor, whether voluntary or conscripted, may have been employed. The earthworks sometimes suggest defensive purposes, but more often they served as burial mounds or apparently formed the bases of temples or other structures. Their metalwork (consisting of beating and annealing) has been called the finest in pre-Columbian North America. Copper sheet was much used; although some silver and meteoric iron, and occasionally gold, entered into various ornaments and utility pieces. Sheets of mica also characterize the culture. Trade routes were evidently well developed, for material from as far away as the Rocky Mountains and the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean are found in Hopewell sites, and articles identified as manufactured by the Hopewell Indians are found in localities as far distant. Shaman in the Hopewell Culture. Although the exact significance of the figures that decorate both sides of this gorget pendant is unknown, it appears that it was owned by a shaman who was able to communicate with the Spirit World by transforming himself into an animal spirit. Each shaman was believed to carry within him a number of animal spirits that directed and guided his judgements-oftentimes represented by a lizard or snakes. On the obverse side of this gorget, one can see the painted figure of a kneeling Shaman with his characteristic top-knot hairstyle–a distinguishing feature of shamans throughout the Southeast, Woodlands, and even in the Great Plains. An effigy of his patron-spirit animal was painted on the obverse side of this copper gorget. This painted figure appears to be in a state of altered consciousness as they transform into a spirit animal on their astral, out-of-body journey. Shaman controlled the reins of power overtly exercised by the Chief. Everyone, including the Great Sun Chief himself, was subject to their ultimate authority, and it was through them that punishment was demanded for the breach of any rules of behavior on ritual occasions, since it was to the Spirit World with which the shamans were in communication that people had to atone for deviations affecting the community, clan, and the individual. Shaman were able to communicate directly with the animal-spirits of the supernatural world. In Southeast native beliefs, the frog or toad was the bringer of rain as well as being a powerful shaman figure. This gorget was probably used by a shaman during rituals that were intended to appeal to the spirits of rain and thunder. Birds of prey feature prominently in Hopewell shamanic belief, since they are swift, courageous, noiseless, and deadly efficient. Shaman wore elaborate headdresses that almost always included feathers in recognition of the desirable qualities possessed by birds and as an expression of the shaman’s ability to transform himself into out-of-body travel and fly into the spirit world. Head coverings were deemed essential, as this part of the body was thought to be the exit and entry point for the soul. Shamanism in North America. Hint, Firefly Books, 2003. Each object I sell is professionally researched and compared with similar objects in the collections of the finest museums in the world. When in doubt, I have worked with dozens of subject matter experts to determine the condition and authenticity of numerous antiquities and antiques. All sales are Final, unless I have seriously misrepresented this item! Please look at the 4x macro photos carefully as they are part of the description. Member of the Authentic Artifact Collectors Association (AACA) & the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). This item is in the category “Collectibles\Cultures & Ethnicities\Native American: US\Pre-1600\Artifacts”. The seller is “houghton-usa” and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada.

Handmade: Yes
Modified Item: No
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Culture: Native American: US
Provenance: Ownership History Available
Origin: Hopewell Culture
Tribal Affiliation: Hopewell
Featured Refinements: Gorget
Material: Copper
Est. Date: 200 BC–500 AD

X-RARE Northwest Coast RAVEN Effigy Burl Wood Mortar & Pestle! 1800s Suquamish WA

Ancient Art, Antiques, & Fine. Antique Native American Shamans. Raven Clan Effigy Burl Wood Mortar & Pestle. With Carved Pictographs Near the Center Bowl. Pacific Northwest Coast Native American. Suquamish Tribe/Puget Sound/Salish Sea. Collected on Bainbridge Island, WA. I certify that this antique Raven Mortar was reportedly found on private land on Bainbridge Island, WA, with the land owner’s permission in the 1800s. Held in a private collection in Seattle for over a century. Collection of any artifacts found on federal/state land or from caves, graves, or mounds is now strictly prohibited by federal law. NW Coast Suquamish Shamans Raven Effigy Mortar & Pestle. Material: Hand-carved, natural wooden burl branch. A burl is a natural, tree growth in which the grain and shape of the wooden trunk has grown in a deformed manner. Native Americans thought that these burls contained magical powers of healing. Find Location: Northwest Coast, USA, Bainbridge Island, WA, 19. Approximate Measurements of Wooden Mortar. 9.00 (22.5 cm). 4.00 (10.2 cm). 4.54 (11.5 cm). Weight: 1.75 lbs. Approximate Measurements of Small Stone Pestle. 2.27 (58 mm). This incredibly RARE Suquamish Shamans Wooden Mortar made from a wooden tree burl log that has the powerful Northwest Coast clan figure of a Raven carved into it. The Suquamish believed that animal figures like the Raven carved into objects made the bowl itself come alive with protective powers against evil spirits who were thought to dwell everywhere. The Trickster Raven was purposefully carved to protect and empower those who used this bowl from evil spirits. It is a very powerful and spiritual piece as it appears the Raven is in flight to carry the medicinal blessings to the sick or injured! This mortar would have been made, blessed, and used by only a single shaman for many years to make small batches of healing poultices for his patients. Native American from the NW coast thought that these burls contained living Spirits to help or harm humans and magical powers of healing. There are two (2) small pictographs (one is a 8.62 mm tall stick figure of a human–likely a depiction of the Shaman himself–and another figure that may be a Raven or other Spirit animal) carved into the top of the mortar between the Raven’s beak and the mortar’s bowl that measures about 1.34 or 34 mm in diameter! {You can see the small figures in macro photos 3-5}. Century mortar is rather crudely carved in style that was used among NW Coast tribes from about 17501850. And-carved mortar is made from a single wooden burl. While the small, stone pestle appears to be a water smoothed rock. NOTE: A burl is a natural, tree growth in which the grain and shape of the wooden trunk has grown in a deformed manner. Native Americans thought that these burls contained living Spirits and magical powers of healing and of protection. Very old examples of shaman paraphernalia are EXTREMELY RARE and only a few are known to exist in Native American museums and fine private collections. This fascinating, Shamans wooden mortar carved into the shape of The Trickster Raven came from a century old Pacific Northwestern collection of artifacts from the Puget Sound area on Bainbridge Island. The entire estate collection was obtained decades ago from the late Mrs. Henrietta Swansons relatives, whose family had early Seattle / island connections. Her descendants stated that the original collector had told Mrs. Swanson that their great grandfather acquired it in a trade on Bainbridge Island around the late 1890s. The style of carving and the patina of the wood suggests that it was made decades or perhaps a century before. This Raven Mortar effigy shows a closed-beak Raven at one end with a streamlined body as if in flight. The Raven mortar shows ware from ancient use by a tribal Shaman. The Raven was thought to scare away Evil Spirits and protect those around it. Minor dings, surface cracks, abrasion marks, grease/oil stains are consistent with age and heavy use over centuries. Deep chisel cuts are especially evident on the inside of the bowl. A very early and RARE wooden artifact from the pre-white settler indigenous population of the island/region. It is in Very Good to Excellent, Museum Quality condition and has a wonderful patina with no modern repairs or restorations. Museum quality with some loss of material to the Raven’s beak, minor cracks, abrasions, chips, and nicks that are consistent with age and ancient use. See macro photos for details. This incredible Suquamish hand-carved, mortar has the powerful clan figure of a Raven carved into it and two pictographs carved into the area around the center bowl. The Suquamish believed that animal figures like the Trickster Raven carved into objects made the mortar itself come alive with protective powers against evil spirits who were thought to dwell everywhere. The Raven was purposefully carved into the mortar to show the Raven protecting and empowering those who used this bowl to heal the ill and protect them from evil spirits and harm. It is a very powerful and spiritual piece that is museum quality! A Suquamish Shaman laboriously worked the large, native cedar burl into the elegant shape of a Raven into this incredible mortar. Totemic design of a Ravens head was carved into one end. This large burl is oblong shaped and very thick and robustly carved. Shaman in the Pacific NW were thought to communicate mystically and directly with he world of Spirits. This wooden mortar would have been made and blessed by a single shaman-priest and used throughout his lifetime. A Shamans artwork was his personal property and his regalia was potent and dangerous to others. Shaman were often transformed into spiritual animal helpers. Upon the death of a Shaman, his body and all his paraphernalia were buried far from the village as both he and his regalia remained highly potent and dangerous. Pacific NW Shaman were often buried in elevated grave houses and guarded by fierce grave figures. This mortar, with its small, circular bowl and relatively small pestle, would have been used for tiny batches of materialperhaps for making shamanistic poultices for healing/ritual ceremonies. Its small size rules out any food preparation useit is too tiny. The roughly hewed wood suggests this bowl was executed in a very early style, indicating a date of origin that could span from circa 1800 to well back into the eighteenth century. The broad, thick form-lines and deep, carved-out bowl are typical of objects that are documented to the last quarter of the eighteenth century, and many of those were undoubtedly created well before their documented date of collection by Euro-Americansin this case in the late 1800s. This archaic-style design work is usually attributed primarily to the Tlingit or Suquamish, and it’s very likely that this group was the original source of the bowl. However, in the very early historic period, northern Northwest Coast design styles had much more in common than they did in the mid-nineteenth century, after many decades of artistic evolution. Numerous examples of archaic-style objects collected from the Tlingit, Haida, and Suquamish exist to indicate that this style was common in their area in the early years of the contact period. The form-line designs on this bowl appear to represent the head of the eagle on the upper-beak end and the tail feathers and handle on the other end. This dual-representation or punning style of imagery is very common in the Northwest Coast tradition. The bowl is believed to be carved from Sitka spruce, a common forest tree on the northern Northwest Coast, but one that is almost never mentioned in the ethnographic literature as a carving material. Once one learns to recognize the appearance of this wood, however, it becomes apparent that there are a great many carved objects, many of them very early examples, that were carved of this material in the historic period. It was commonly used for bowls in the early contact period and before, as well as for war helmets, canoe paddles, and such works as combs and other small objects. Northwest Native American Raven Mythology. The Raven is a culture hero of the Northwest Coast and Alaskan Athabaskan tribes. He is a revered and benevolent transformer god who helps the people and shapes their world for them, but at the same time, he is also a trickster character and many Raven stories have to do with his frivolous or poorly thought out behavior getting him into trouble. In the mythology of many Northwest Indian tribes, Raven is honored as a culture hero. He is a revered and benevolent transformer figure who helps the people and shapes their world for them, but at the same time, he is also a trickster character and many Raven stories have to do with his frivolous or poorly thought out behavior causing trouble for him and the people around him. Raven is noted for negative traits such as gluttony, greed, and impatience as well as for his heroism and great deeds. Ravens are also used as clan animals in many Native American cultures, particularly those of the Northwest Coast (such as the Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Kwakiutl, Nisgaa-Gitksan, and Salishan tribes) and the northern Athabaskan tribes such as the Tanaina. Raven is an important clan crest on the Northwest Coast and can often be found carved on totem poles, bentwood boxes, and other traditional northwestern art. In fact, the Haida tribe credits Raven for discovering the first humans who were hiding in a clam shell; he brought them berries and salmon. The Suquamish are a Lushootseed-speaking Native American people, located in present-day Washington in the United States. They are a southern Coast Salish people. Today, most Suquamish people are enrolled in the Suquamish Tribe, an indigenous nation and signatory to the Treaty of Point Elliott of 1855. The Suquamish traditionally lived on the western shores of Puget Sound, from Apple Tree Cove in the north to Gig Harbor in the south, including Bainbridge Island and Blake Island. They had villages throughout the region, the largest centered on Old Man House, the largest winter longhouse in the Salish Sea. Chief Seattle was an ancestral leader of the Suquamish Tribe who was born in 1786 at the Old-Man-House village in Suquamish. His father was Schweabe, a Suquamish Chief, and his was mother Scholitza, a Duwamish from a village near present Kent. Seattle was a six years old when Captain George Vancouver anchored in Suquamish waters off Bainbridge Island in 1792. The first contact between Suquamish and European peoples came in 1792 when George Vancouver explored Puget Sound and met members of the Suquamish Tribe, possibly including Schweabe and Kitsap. More regular contact with non-Natives came with the establishment of British trading posts in Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia in the early 19th century England. Once the Washington Territory was established in 1853, the U. Government began signing treaties with area indigenous leaders to extinguish aboriginal claims and make land available for non-Native settlement. They reserved for themselves the land that became designated as the Port Madison Indian Reservation, near their winter village on Agate Pass. They also reserved the right to fish and harvest shellfish in their Usual and Accustomed Areas, and reserved certain cultural and natural resource rights within their historical territory. Today, the Suquamish Tribe is a co-manager with the State of Washington of the state’s salmon fishery. This is your chance to add an extremely RARE Shaman Burl Wood Raven Mortar to your collection! PROVENANCE: Chronology of Ownership. This authentic, Raven Effigy Mortar is from the estate of a prominent collector who lived in Bainbridge, Island, WA. I recently acquired it from a private collector in Colorado. This bowl will be accompanied by an ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS Certificate of Authenticity at no additional charge. By the Editors of Time Life, 1992, pgs. Spirit Faces: Contemporary Masks of the Northwest Coast. By Gary Wyatt, 1998. The Coppers of the Northwest Coast Indians: Their Origin. Volume 79, Carol F. Understanding Northwest Coast Art: A Guide to Crests, Beings and Symbols. Each object I sell is professionally researched and compared with similar objects in the collections of the finest museums in the world. When in doubt, I have worked with dozens of subject matter experts to determine the condition and authenticity of numerous antiquities and antiques. All sales are Final, unless I have seriously misrepresented this item! Member of the Authentic Artifact Collectors Association (AACA) & the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). The item “X-RARE Northwest Coast RAVEN Effigy Burl Wood Mortar & Pestle! 1800s Suquamish WA” is in sale since Friday, April 5, 2019. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Cultures & Ethnicities\Native American\ US\1800-1934\Other Nat. Am. Items 1800-1934″. The seller is “houghton-usa” and is located in Sequim, Washington. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom.

Modified Item: No
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Provenance: Ownership History Available
Origin: Bainbridge Island, WA
Tribal Affiliation: Suquamish

X-RARE Northwest Coast RAVEN Grease Bowl 1800s Suquamish, Bainbridge Island, WA

Ancient Art, Antiques, & Fine. Raven Clan Grease Bowl. Pacific Northwest Coast Native American. Suquamish Tribe/Puget Sound/Salish Sea. Find Location: Bainbridge Island, WA. I certify that this antique grease bowl was reportedly traded for on Bainbridge Island, WA, with the owner’s permission in the 1800s. Suquamish Tribe Raven Grease Bowl. Find Location: Northwest Coast, USA, BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA, 19. This incredible Suquamish Grease Bowl has the powerful Northwest Coast clan figure of a Raven carved into it. The Suquamish believed that animal figures like the Raven carved into objects made the bowl itself come alive with protective powers against evil spirits who were thought to dwell everywhere. The fierce, open mouth of the Raven was purposefully carved to protect and empower those who used this bowl from evil spirits. It is a very powerful and spiritual piece! On the inside of this grease bowl, there is a four-legged animal crudely carved into the side with what appears to be a knife. The animal is about 2 long and perhaps may be a fox or coyote, as he appears to have a long, bushy tail. Look carefully at photos # 4-5 and you can see the image of the animal running to the left with four legs. It is perhaps a clan animal spirit of the Suquamish clan member that once owned this bowl. There also appears to be a name or symbol carved into the underside of the base. It is possible that the non-native owner carved his/her name into the bottom during the 1800s. During feasts and celebrations, dried fish dipped in grease/oil was considered a delicacy. The edible grease/oil mixture was held in small bowls like this one made of wood or sometimes of mountain sheep horn specially carved and shaped for this purpose. This very early, 19. Century Grease Bowl is rather crudely carved and still shows the deep chisel marks that are typical of very early of antique bowls that were created from 17501850. Very old examples of grease bowls are EXTREMELY RARE and only a few are known to exist in Native American museums and fine private collections. Estimated appraised value for this EXTREMELY RARE. This fascinating wooden Grease Bowl carved into the shape of The Trickster Raven came from a very old Pacific Northwestern collection of artifacts from the Puget Sound area. The entire estate collection was obtained decades ago from the late Mrs. Henrietta Swansons relatives, whose family had early Seattle / island connections. Her descendants stated that the original collector had told Mrs. Swanson that their great grandfather acquired it in a trade on Bainbridge island around the late 1890s. The style of carving and the patina of the wood suggests that it was made decades or perhaps a century before. This Raven Grease Bowl effigy shows a fierce, open-beak Raven at one end, with his curled tail along the opposite end. Inside the open beak, there are still remnants of dried grease. There is a single hole that was drilled from the mouth of the Raven to the inside of the bowl. The Ravens shows ware on his lightly discolored, almond-shaped eyes and snout. His gapping, open mouth gives this piece a fierce and rather creepy perspective, as the Raven was thought to scare away Evil Spirits. Look carefully at photo #? And you can see the image of the animal running to the left with four legs. Minor dings, surface cracks, abrasion marks, grease/oil stains are consistent with age and heavy use over centuries. Deep chisel cuts are especially evident on the inside of the bowl. A very early and RARE wooden artifact from the pre-white settler indigenous population of the island/region. This incredible Suquamish Grease Bowl has the powerful clan figure of a Raven carved into it. The fierce, open mouth of the Raven was purposefully carved to show the Raven protecting and empowering those who used this bowl from evil spirits and harm. It is a very powerful and spiritual piece that is museum quality! The Suquamish carvers laboriously worked native cedar into the elegant shapes of grease bowls. Totemic design of a Ravens head and tail were then carved onto the exterior surface of the two ends. This grease bowl is very thick and robustly carved. Although fish was the staple food of Suquamish People, the surrounding forested mountains supported a wide variety of small and large game. Northwest Coast Grease Bowls. Grease bowls were made by the early tribes that inhabited the Great Northwest Coast. They contained edible oils that were used as an accompaniment to the dried fish or meats that were served during feasts and potlatch celebrations on the Northwest Coast. Grease is an adopted English word used to indicate eulachon or candlefish oil, rendered in large wooden vats from small river-run fish in the early spring, or seal oil, rendered from the thick blubber that insulates the various coastal species of seal from the cold northern Pacific waters. Smaller bowls of this kind were often personal property, used by individuals or family groups on a daily basis, while the larger ones were used for bigger gatherings as serving vessels, from which these oils were ladled into smaller bowls. This bowls represents a ravens head with a wide-open mouth, the interior of which leads to the inside of the bowl. There are a small number of other bowls with this basic image, though few of these appear to be as early as this example. The roughly hewed wood suggests this bowl was executed in a very early style, indicating a date of origin that could span from circa 1800 to well back into the eighteenth century. The broad, thick form-lines and deep, carved-out bowl are typical of objects that are documented to the last quarter of the eighteenth century, and many of those were undoubtedly created well before their documented date of collection by Euro-Americansin this case in the late 1800s. This archaic-style design work is usually attributed primarily to the Tlingit or Suquamish, and it’s very likely that this group was the original source of the bowl. However, in the very early historic period, northern Northwest Coast design styles had much more in common than they did in the mid-nineteenth century, after many decades of artistic evolution. Numerous examples of archaic-style objects collected from the Tlingit, Haida, and Suquamish exist to indicate that this style was common in their area in the early years of the contact period. The form-line designs on this bowl appear to represent the head of the eagle on the upper-beak end and the tail feathers and handle on the other end. This dual-representation or punning style of imagery is very common in the Northwest Coast tradition. The bowl is believed to be carved from Sitka spruce, a common forest tree on the northern Northwest Coast, but one that is almost never mentioned in the ethnographic literature as a carving material. Once one learns to recognize the appearance of this wood, however, it becomes apparent that there are a great many carved objects, many of them very early examples, that were carved of this material in the historic period. It was commonly used for bowls in the early contact period and before, as well as for war helmets, canoe paddles, and such works as combs and other small objects. The grease bowl is a very early example, as evidenced by the style of the design work as well as the darkness of the patina and the volume of dark, oxidized oil that has saturated the entire vessel. The image of a seal was often used for grease bowls, in part as an homage to the spirit of the creature that was hunted as the source of the oil. Seal bowls made after 1900 are often up-swept at the ends, which echoes the shape of a seal that stretches out in the sun while resting upon wave-swept rocks. This bowl has no appreciable rise to the ends, which is consistent with the early style of the carving and design work in the vessel and suggests this bowl was made in the early 1800s or before. Later grease bowls made after about 1900 often tended to exaggerate the curvature of the up swept to both ends and were usually worked to a fine, smooth finish. Northwest Native American Raven Mythology. The Raven is a culture hero of the Northwest Coast and Alaskan Athabaskan tribes. He is a revered and benevolent transformer god who helps the people and shapes their world for them, but at the same time, he is also a trickster character and many Raven stories have to do with his frivolous or poorly thought out behavior getting him into trouble. In the mythology of many Northwest Indian tribes, Raven is honored as a culture hero. He is a revered and benevolent transformer figure who helps the people and shapes their world for them, but at the same time, he is also a trickster character and many Raven stories have to do with his frivolous or poorly thought out behavior causing trouble for him and the people around him. Raven is noted for negative traits such as gluttony, greed, and impatience as well as for his heroism and great deeds. Ravens are also used as clan animals in many Native American cultures, particularly those of the Northwest Coast (such as the Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Kwakiutl, Nisgaa-Gitksan, and Salishan tribes) and the northern Athabaskan tribes such as the Tanaina. Raven is an important clan crest on the Northwest Coast and can often be found carved on totem poles, bentwood boxes, and other traditional northwestern art. In fact, the Haida tribe credits Raven for discovering the first humans who were hiding in a clam shell; he brought them berries and salmon. The Suquamish are a Lushootseed-speaking Native American people, located in present-day Washington in the United States. They are a southern Coast Salish people. Today, most Suquamish people are enrolled in the Suquamish Tribe, an indigenous nation and signatory to the Treaty of Point Elliott of 1855. The Suquamish traditionally lived on the western shores of Puget Sound, from Apple Tree Cove in the north to Gig Harbor in the south, including Bainbridge Island and Blake Island. They had villages throughout the region, the largest centered on Old Man House, the largest winter longhouse in the Salish Sea. Chief Seattle was an ancestral leader of the Suquamish Tribe who was born in 1786 at the Old-Man-House village in Suquamish. His father was Schweabe, a Suquamish Chief, and his was mother Scholitza, a Duwamish from a village near present Kent. Seattle was a six years old when Captain George Vancouver anchored in Suquamish waters off Bainbridge Island in 1792. The first contact between Suquamish and European peoples came in 1792 when George Vancouver explored Puget Sound and met members of the Suquamish Tribe, possibly including Schweabe and Kitsap. More regular contact with non-Natives came with the establishment of British trading posts in Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia in the early 19th century England. Once the Washington Territory was established in 1853, the U. Government began signing treaties with area indigenous leaders to extinguish aboriginal claims and make land available for non-Native settlement. They reserved for themselves the land that became designated as the Port Madison Indian Reservation, near their winter village on Agate Pass. They also reserved the right to fish and harvest shellfish in their Usual and Accustomed Areas, and reserved certain cultural and natural resource rights within their historical territory. Today, the Suquamish Tribe is a co-manager with the State of Washington of the state’s salmon fishery. PROVENANCE: Chronology of Ownership. This authentic, Raven Grease Bowl is from the estate of a prominent collector in Ontario California. I recently acquired it from a private collector. This bowl will be accompanied by my Certificate of Authenticity at no additional charge. By the Editors of Time Life, 1992, pgs. Spirit Faces: Contemporary Masks of the Northwest Coast. By Gary Wyatt, 1998. The Coppers of the Northwest Coast Indians: Their Origin. Volume 79, Carol F. Understanding Northwest Coast Art: A Guide to Crests, Beings and Symbols. Each object I sell is professionally researched and compared with similar objects in the collections of the finest museums in the world. When in doubt, I have worked with dozens of subject matter experts to determine the condition and authenticity of numerous antiquities and antiques. All sales are Final, unless I have seriously misrepresented this item! Member of the Authentic Artifact Collectors Association (AACA) & the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). The item “X-RARE Northwest Coast RAVEN Grease Bowl 1800s Suquamish, Bainbridge Island, WA” is in sale since Thursday, March 21, 2019. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Cultures & Ethnicities\Native American\ US\1800-1934\Other Nat. Am. Items 1800-1934″. The seller is “houghton-usa” and is located in Sequim, Washington. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada.

Handmade: Yes
Modified Item: No
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Culture: Native American: US
Artisan: Unknown
Provenance: Ownership History Available
Origin: Bainbridge Island, WA
Tribal Affiliation: Suquamish

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