Hunting hat. Bentwood, painted with red, black, blue and yellow green designs following form of helmet, inter-spaced with circles filled with rays. One blue, one white and one millifiore bead with yarn on walrus or sea lion whiskers. Ivory or whalebone piece attached to back with sinew. Braided sinew chin strap, side decorations of hair and sinew. Center string red and yellow. Used to protect eyes from sun and salt spray while men hunted in kayak.
Donor:
Alaska Commercial Company, Benjamin Bristol, and Older University Collections
To protect eyes from salt spray and sun in kayak. Sometimes these hats are donned with volutes, often detailed with spurred spirals, and circular patterns that suggest roots in Amur River and Bering Sea decoration.
Department:
Native US and Canada (except California)
Dimensions:
length 45.5 centimeters and height 27 centimeters
Comment:
CONSERVATION: vacuumed October 1986. Published: "Aleut Art", Lydia Black, P. IXg (color). Probable materials: From 1990's Judy Polanch NAGPRA inventory notes: "Blackhawk" Published in Black, Lydia, and Sergeĭ Vasilʹevich Ivanov. Glory remembered: wooden headgear of Alaska sea hunters. Univ of Washington Pr, 1991.
Loans:
S1945-1946 #4: Winfield Scott Wellington (March 11, 1946–October 28, 1955), S1951-1952 #1: University of California, Los Angeles (March 15, 1952–returned by 1957), and S1990-1991 #23: Blackhawk Museums (March 20, 1991–August 16, 1994)