UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, TLINGIT

Cane or Staff,late 19th century

wood, 41 x 1.75 x 1.5 in (104.1 x 4.4 x 3.8 cm)

unsigned.

Provenance

An American Collection.

A speaker’s staff functions as a symbol of authority in many Northwest Coast cultures; each culture has traditions governing their use. They are most often decorated with figures that represent the crests and origin stories associated with the clan, family, or chieftainship. A speaker’s staff is held by the clan leader, though an appointed or hereditary speaker may deliver the address to the guests at a potlatch, feast, or dance celebration.

The short size and knob top of this staff indicate that it was used primarily as a cane, though function as a speaker’s staff is also a possibility. The presence of a short length of octopus tentacle at the bottom suggests that this may have belonged to a shaman, displaying his clan affiliations as well as his status and occupation. The style of sculpture is Tlingit in form, like a miniature totem pole of stacked individual figures. The eye sockets and face structure are both indicative of its Tlingit origin, and some of the figures/stories represented are Tlingit in origin.

Steven C. Brown