This is a very unique large carved wood totem Northwest Coast clothe and polychromed wood shamans puppet from the Halitauk or Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl) tribes. The piece comes on a custom stand that is marked on the bottom, “…col. 1985 No. 4599.161 (crossed out) #4357,166.85 NW Coast Puppet Prob. Halitauk or Kwakiutl / UKNXNN”. The only other similar example in nearly identical form showing a stylized human figure with attenuated feet and exaggerated splayed hands having a finely carved mask like head with downturned mouth and lips slightly parted, angular nose and eyes inset with abalone shell beneath arched brows in red and black painted detail, sold by Sotheby’s at lot 19 of an early American Indian Art auction for $22,800 Sale N08210 Mon, 08 MAY 06 from the Fred Harvey Collection / The Museum of the American Indian, George Heye Foundation, New York, 8/1596 and more. The description notes:
“The following from a written assessment on this piece by Steve Brown: “Puppet-like images (miniature figures with movable parts) are seen with some frequency from the central Northwest Coast area (Vancouver Island to the northern British Columbia coast). They have been employed as aspects of traditional dance performances and as representations of the spirit helpers contacted by shamans. Farther north, in Southeast Alaska, Tlingit shamans utilize wooden figures in their curing rituals, though these are generally carved of solid wood, and lack movable body parts. One particular use of the Kwakwaka' wakw humanoid puppets is in the performance ritual known as the Noontlemgila (see Boas, The Social Organization and Secret Societies of the Kwakiutl Indians, 1897:492; illustration #s 156-160). In this display, spirit figures represented by puppets are made to appear from within the central house fire, as is by the magical power of the performers. Puppets are employed by other Kwakwaka' wakw performers such as the Tooxwid, a woman with magical powers who can manifest spirits in the dancing house. Tooxwid spirits are sometimes represented by puppets that appear in the dance house from a wide variety of places, depending on the inherited prerogatives of the individual performer. Puppet use by other Northwest Coast peoples is less well documented than it is among the Vancouver Island Kwakwaka' wakw (due to the extensive efforts undertaken in recording this group by Franz Boas and his Native interpreter, George Hunt) but is presumed to have followed a similar tradition among related Wakashan-language peoples."
Our example is in nearly identical form as the aforementioned piece. This example shows a totem human face with inlaid abalone eyes below and arched brow, angular nose, with downturned mouth having lips slightly parted. The neck and hands are wrapped in twine. The head is inlaid with real hair. The hands are exaggerated in size and length and feet that are thin and long with little feature. The face, hands and feet are all carved from wood bearing red and green / blue coloring. The head has a patina and the body a dark coloring. Truly a unique piece. Overall measures with stand 26.5 inches high by about 5”W.
