A Tlingit style metal object. 20th century. 28 1/2 " x 19 1/4". Northwest Coast. USA. Use in Northeast Coast potlatches. :The copper, which derives its English name from the metal of its manufacture, is an item that represents great wealth and prestige among the people of northern Vancouver Island and northward to Alaska. The copper's characteristic shape has a flared upper half, which may carry a design; the lower half has ridges hammered into a T shape.
With an average height of about 70 cm (28 inches), excluding miniatures, coppers of the past were made from sheet copper - often of the type used for sheath ing the wooden hulls of saillng ships - and were acquired in trade. The metal itself symbolised wealth and high rank. Northern chiefs proclaimed their rank and lineage by displaying coppers at a potlatch. Each copper had a name and a history, and represented a specific value. Among the Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw), a chief could take revenge on anyone who had insulted him or his family by publicly and ceremonially breaking off a section of a copper and presenting it to the offender. A copper could be broken several times and repaired, adding to its history and value.
Throwing a copper into a fire or into the sea was a conspicuous gesture of disregard for one's enormous wealth. Coppers of great value could be used towards purchasing slaves, a stand of fine cedars, hunting lands, or other food resources or property. One or more coppers might be carved or painted on a pole to proclaim a person's rank and status or, more rarely, be nailed to a mortuary or memorial pole." Cooper, H., 2006: Copper and Social Complexity: Frederica de Laguna’s Contribution to Our Understanding of the Role of Metals in Native Alaskan Society, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2006_x000D_
Provenance: Inventory and Collection from the Estate of Merton D. Simpson.

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