Needle-shaped, perforated bone pendant. Attached to 1923.71.17 with string. [El.B 20/9/2005]

Collection type: Object
Description: Needle-shaped, perforated bone pendant. Attached to 1923.71.17 with string. [El.B 20/9/2005]
Long description: Needle-shaped, perforated bone pendant. Attached to 1923.71.17 with string. The pendant is perforated at its thicker end. There is a slight curve to the pendant, likely a natural feature of the material. [CAK 07/07/2009]
Geographical reference: Canada
Northern America > North America > Canada; British Columbia Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) Skidegate
Cultural groups: Haida
Person: Field collector Gerald Thomas Fleetwood Pike; PRM source Stevens Auction Rooms
Date / Period: Date made: Before 1901
Date collected: By 1901
Acquisition information: Purchased: 1923
Materials and processes: Material Bone, Process Carved, Process Perforated, Process Strung
Dimensions: Length: max 127 mm
Object numbers: Accession number: 1923.71.16 Other numbers: 283
Research and responses: Given the object was found on a shaman's grave, it may be possible that this is not a pendant but a bone worn through the septum of the nose (a practice of shamans frequently depicted in carvings). [CAK 26/05/2009]
The following information comes from Haida delegates who worked with the museum’s collection in September 2009 as part of the project “Haida Material Culture in British Museums: Generating New Forms of Knowledge”:
This object was viewed alongside other shamanic materials on Friday Sept 9, 2009. No information from delegates about this particular object was recorded. However, delegates requested shamanic items not be on display in the museum. [CAK 13/05/2010]

Search terms: Ornament, Death, Medicine, Pendant, Neck Ornament, Grave Good, Medical Accessory, Nose Ornament