House Post, from a Set of Four
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Object Label
These two house posts depict the creation story of the Heiltsuk eagle clan and its ancestral homeland, Yálátli (Goose Island): In the beginning of time, many of the world’s inhabitants were animals and supernatural creatures. Some could take off their fur and feathers and assume human form, while others always remained in their supernatural form. One day, a supernatural eagle with a human face and a bird’s beak saw a whale in the water and tried to seize it for food. After a mighty struggle, the eagle flipped the whale over and began to devour it, spilling the whale’s intestines into the water, where they piled up to form Yálátli. The eagle decided to live on the island, becoming human and adopting the name Wigvilhba Wákas (Eagle Nose), which has been passed down through the generations and is today held by Chief Harvey Humchitt.
Caption
Heiltsuk (Bella Bella). House Post, from a Set of Four, 19th century. Cedar wood, 98 x 35 1/4 x 17 1/2in. (248.9 x 89.5 x 44.5cm) . Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1911, Museum Collection Fund, 11.700.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 11.700.1_front_bw.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
House Post, from a Set of Four
Date
19th century
Geography
Place made: Waglisla (Bella Bella), British Columbia, Canada
Medium
Cedar wood
Classification
Dimensions
98 x 35 1/4 x 17 1/2in. (248.9 x 89.5 x 44.5cm)
Credit Line
Museum Expedition 1911, Museum Collection Fund
Accession Number
11.700.1
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Was Native American sculpture such as Heiltsuk house posts already influenced by western art in the 19th C.?
By the 19th century, there had been over 100 years of trade between the First Peoples of the Northwest Coast, such as the Heiltsuk, and European traders (Russian and Spanish especially) as well as Euro-Canadian and Euro-American expansionists coming towards the West Coast from further east.It's hard to say, however, exactly how much particular Western art influence appeared in these specific examples (and the contact between Heiltsuk carvers and Western artists or Western art would have been spotty). We often seen more Western influence coming into objects made for trade and markets, which could reflect the tastes of the market (rather than use and family history/family crests as represented here).Please tell the curators that the wall copy is excellent.So clear, respectful of reader and free of art historical jargon.Absolutely! I would also add that by the end of the 19th century, the collection of Native American sculptures such as this one was starting to influence Western art!This would have held up a house?
This House Post was carved by a Heiltsuk artist from British Columbia. The two posts you see here, as well as two more in our collection that are not currently on view, would have supported the framework of a cedar house belonging to the Wígvilhba Wákas Chieftainship. The figures on the House Posts depict the creation story of the Eagle Clan.Why is there a little kid being held?
That is actually not a child; it is the artist using scale to show who the important figure in the pole is and to aid in telling the story. They depict the creation story of the Eagle Clan and all four posts show variations of larger figures holding smaller human-like figures.So the larger figure with the beak nose is the most important figure from the story—representing the supernatural eagle that created Yálátli Island, while the smaller figure may represent the humans who came to live on the island or the chiefs who trace their lineage back to the supernatural eagle.How do people know about the evolution of Native American Indian belief systems, like with house posts? Are their stories documented in writing and passed down?
Information, such as stories and beliefs, are passed down from generation to generation, usually orally. For many years, the US and Canadian governments did attempt to disrupt Native traditions, but many were able to keep them alive.Scholars and curators do consult with the nations and tribes to which an object originates. For example, information about what is represented on these house posts comes from the current chief of the clan who created them.Interesting! Thank you.You're very welcome! For objects in our Arts of the Americas collection, the curators absolutely make efforts to speak with the living communities about the objects, their history, and how a work is to be treated and discussed, or even if it should be returned.This totem pole is incredible. Are these particular to the Americas?
This is actually a house post, one of a set of four! They were interior posts used to support roof beams. This style of carving, which is also seen in totem poles, which is also found in totem poles, is common to certain areas of the Americas, yes.This post comes from the Northwest Coast of the Americas and was made by a Heiltsuk artist. This one in particular comes from a cedar plank house belonging to the Wígvilhba Wákas Chieftainship.Tell me more.
This house post and the one on view nearby were once part of the structure of a cedar plank house that belonged to the Wígvilhba Wákas Chieftainship in British Columbia. All four of the house posts from the structure are arranged in a similar way, large figures holding smaller ones. Together they reference the creation story of the Eagle Clan. The larger figure with the beak nose is the most important figure from the story—representing the supernatural eagle that created Yálátli (Goose Island), while the smaller figure may represents the humans who came to live on the island or the chiefs who trace their lineage back to the supernatural eagle.What’s he holding?
The artist is using hierarchical scale to show who the important figure is in the post. This post, its partner on the opposite wall, and two others tell the creation story of the Eagle clan.If you look at the figure to the left, you'll notice that the larger figure has a beak nose. He represents the supernatural eagle that created Yálátli (Goose Island). The smaller figure may represent the humans who came to live or chiefs who trace their lineage back to the supernatural eagle.
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