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Wooden Helmet, Old Style, Carved (Frog)

National Museum of Natural History

Object Details

Collector
Sgt. John J. McLean
Donor Name
Sgt. John J. McLean
FROM CARD: "CUT FROM THE SOLID (BURL). CARVED TO REPRESENT THE FROG. CLOUD HAT CYLINDER MISSING. TRACES OF GREEN PAINT ONLY REMAIN. NEG. NO. 43,227-B (FRONT). 43,227-(PROFILE-RIGHT SIDE), 43,227-A (BOTTOM). LOANED: OSAKA EXPO-70 JULY 69 - JAN. 71. RETURNED TO COLLECTION DECEMBER 7, 1970." See apparently associated object E60216. December 1881 list in accession file lists the frog helmet as being accompanied by a neck shield.
Per Repatriation Office research, as reported in the Tlingit case report (Hollinger et al. 2005), in 1881 John J. McLean purchased this helmet from the Northwest Trading Company at an unknown location in Southeastern Alaska. Evidence supports a cultural affiliation between the Frog House of the Gaana xteidí clan of Klukwan.
McLean list in accession file identifies this object as Chilcat. It appears that Chilcat may be meant as a place name on this list, perhaps not specifically or exclusively as a culture name, similar to the way other objects in the collection are identified as Sitka, Kootzahoo, and Hoonia. Chilcat/Chilkat is a name sometimes used for Klukwan.
Record Last Modified
7 Jun 2023
Specimen Count
1
Culture
Tlingit, Chilkat
Accession Date
23 Jun 1882
Collection Date
1881
Accession Number
011616
USNM Number
E60214-0
Object Type
Helmet
Place
Chilcat (Chilkat or Klukwan?), Alaska, United States, North America
See more items in
Anthropology
NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
Topic
Ethnology
Record ID
nmnhanthropology_8470371
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3fb6bccd8-c608-4104-b8e7-cd7740f3ee64

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