Skull Hook
Artist/Maker
Artist Unknown
(Artist Unknown)
Datelate 19th to early 20th century
Mediumwood, stain, shell beads and plant fiber
DimensionsOverall: 22 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 2 1/2 in. (57.2 x 26.7 x 6.4 cm)
ClassificationsVisual Works
Credit LineGift of The Rubin - Ladd Foundation
Terms
Object number2005.43.23
DescriptionLarge, carved wooden hooks are among the many intensely decorated objects kept in the men’s ceremonial houses. They can be used to suspend most anything from food, bags containing personal items, ceremonial paraphernalia, or, quite commonly, human skulls. The skulls may be of the owner’s ancestors or of ceremonial “kills.” Either kind of skull is likely to be richly decorated and may be displayed on ceremonial occasions such as naven. The form of the double hook at the base recalls the crescent moon, which is regarded as female, the gender of the figure on this hook. She may be regarded as protective and a spirit of fertility. The double hook has also been likened to a boat with a dead person standing in it, in which case the figure would be an ancestor.On View
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