Native American / First Nations, Pacific Northwest Coast, United States / Canada, Haida / Tlingit culture, ca. early to mid-20th century CE. A fine copper cuff bracelet engraved with a formline depiction of a raven and a "gonakadet / wasgo" (sea wolf) head to his right and a sun form before the raven's beak. Traditionally indigenous people of this region tattooed their clan or crest animals and symbols onto their bodies, but Europeans banned this practice so by the late 19th century engraved bracelets such as this, were made to wear these symbols instead. Copper objects were status symbols and could function as trade items and gifts during a potlatch. The patina and wear on this piece suggests this may be an early 20th or even a late 19th century piece - XRF testing also shows this is 99.65% copper - perhaps made from melted pennies that had a very high copper content during this period. Size: 2.5" Diameter x 1" W (6.4 cm x 2.5 cm); gap opening: 0.8" W (2 cm)

Provenance: private West Jordon, Utah, USA collection

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#178574

Areas of dark patina and toning. Small surface abrasion on interior and wear from previous use. Overall great condition.