Dance Wand

Provenance:
Sold sale of Fine American Indian Art, Sotheby's New York, December 3, 1986, lot 183

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Collection of Jim and Marilyn Bergstrom, Seattle

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Sold sale of Important American Indian Art, Christies, December 5, 1996, lot 45

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Private Collection, Vancouver

Exhibitions:
Seattle Art Museum, The Box of Daylight, September 15, 1983 - January 8, 1984, page 94, reproduced page 94

Literature:
Bill Holm, The Box of Daylight: Northwest Coast Indian Art, Seattle Art Museum, 1983, reproduced page 94, catalogue #160
Notes:
The Tlingit (People of the Tides) traditionally lived in four territories in British Columbia, the largest of which ranged along the northern coast up to Alaska. The Tlingit used carved wands such as this fine piece for ceremonies; they were carried by dancers, who would gesture with them in response to the dance songs. Shamans also used wands as magical weapons in their practices to repel malevolent forces, but this wand was most likely used for dancing. Such wands were referred to as paddles because they resembled canoe paddles. The nature of the animal depicted here is indeterminate, and the purpose of the hole in the centre is unknown. Bill Holm's cataloguing comments for the Seattle exhibition in which this wand was featured note: "The border of the wand is decorated with carved ovals that represent opercula inlay. Probably when the piece was new the light yellow of the wood contrasting with the black border gave a satisfactory imitation of the inlaid shell. A typical fringe of hair falls from the edge." Richly painted and decorated with motifs, Dance Wand is an intriguing Tlingit cultural artifact.