Shaman's Charm or Soul Catcher
Arts of the Americas
On View: Arts of the Americas Galleries, 5th Floor
MEDIUM
Bone or Ivory, abalone shell
DATES
late 19th or early 20th century
DIMENSIONS
9 1/2 x 6 x 1 1/4 in. (24.1 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
73.110
CREDIT LINE
By exchange
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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CAPTION
Tlingit. Shaman's Charm or Soul Catcher, late 19th or early 20th century. Bone or Ivory, abalone shell, 9 1/2 x 6 x 1 1/4 in. (24.1 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, By exchange, 73.110. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.110_bw.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 73.110_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Carved and hollow bone figurine in the form of a whale with a fin rising from the center of its back. On the fin is a carved face with mouth and teeth. At one end of the whale is an open mouth. Incised geometric forms cover the figure: U-shapes, circles, and ellipses forming another mouth, teeth, eyes and nostrils. Several incisions are filled with abalone shell; three pieces of shell are missing. On back of object, at either side of fin, are two holes equal in size. Used by a shaman to catch or hold the ill person's soul while he performs the healing ceremony. When the ceremony is finished, the patient's soul would be returned to his or her body.
Condition: A portion of one end of the charm is broken.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and
we welcome any additional information you might have.
How does the Soul Catcher work? Should I be afraid?
Tlingit Soul Catchers were intended to help a person, rather than harm them, so you're safe! The idea was that the implement could hold a person's soul in place while the shaman healed them.