"Tlingit Soul Catcher”
Soul catchers were a Shaman's most prized tool used to heal patients. The
Shaman would inhale the patient's soul into the cylinder and hold it there
with plugs while the Shaman performed purification ceremonies to ward off
illnesses or evil spirits. After purification, the Shaman would place
cylinder against the patient's skin and blow the healed soul back into the
patient.
This carved soul catcher,
or cylinder, is made of old femur. Front side of soul catcher has double
headed raven and dragonfly design. Back side features double headed raven with
two beavers. Top side features double raven backbone design and tail of the
dragonfly. Top center depicts tail pincher of the dragonfly in abalone. Total of
27 abalone inlays. Red cedar plugs cap ends of soul catcher. Smoked moose-hide
strap secures plugs, which remove to reveal surprise inside the soul catcher: a
fossilized ivory carved beaver.
Necklace features 6 old Lewis and Clark feather trade beads, old red trade
beads, blue cobalt trade beads, Vaseline-faceted Venetian trade beads, and
old bone beads at top.
Necklace also features 12 ivory and bone artifacts,
including, from bottom, ivory bar connecting soul catcher to necklace, 2
ivory Shaman carvings, 1 bone bottle with ivory cap, 1 ivory weight, 2
Ravens carved from fossilized teeth, 1 ivory Eskimo knife with metal blade,
1 fossilized ivory artifact, and 2 fossilized ivory arrow tip artifacts.
In addition, necklace features 12 rare, jumbo Dentilia, a shell used for trade
before buttons and beads were available on the Northwest Coast. Soul
catcher: 6 inches long X approximately 2 inches wide. Necklace: 23 inches
from top of necklace to bottom of soul catcher.
Photo Gallery. By Donald Gregory
(Héendeí).
$2,500.00.
(#1077)
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