Guardian figure staff
A Northwest Coast master sculptor created this staff finial featuring a meditative standing figure. The work, intended for a ritual specialist, was an integral part of shamanic transformation and healing ceremonies. The figure’s strong brow and sagittal crest may denote a specific group’s identity among the Coastal or Inland Chehalis peoples. Its adornment with two dewclaws from a deer may have infused it with power.
Artwork Details
- Title: Guardian figure staff
- Date: ca. 1820–50
- Geography: Made in Washington, United States
- Culture: Lower Chehalis or Quinault, Native American
- Medium: Conifer wood, deer hooves, pigment, and vegetal fiber
- Dimensions: 25 × 4 × 3 1/2 in. (63.5 × 10.2 × 8.9 cm)
- Credit Line: The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection of Native American Art, Gift of Charles and Valerie Diker, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.434.13
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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