a-Bil-ña-Tshol (medicine canoe) headdress
Featuring a seat at the rear and a circular prow, this narrow, densely patterned headdress was designed to resemble a canoe. The nautical form was closely tied to the performance of the a-Tshol human-bird headdress. At kä-bërë-Tshol (a primary initiation for girls and boys), the dancer bearing this headdress would follow the a-Tshol. Worn horizontally atop the head, the unwieldy sculpture had a cylindrical block into which a groove was carved to assist with balance. In order to simulate the motion of a waterborne vessel, the performer’s movements and posture suggested a state of floating.
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