Amulet, ca.1730-1830 Culture: Tlingit, British Columbia Material: sperm whale tooth.
Shamans wore amulets around their necks and held them against a patient’s afflicted area to remove the malevolence that caused the illness. To undertake spiritual activities such as healing, shamans journeyed to the land of the dead. Such a journey is rendered on this amulet. The ancient form of a head canoe carries the figures through time and space, across the border between life and death.
Fenimore Art Museum