Harpoon Shaman Staff
This Raven Harpoon Shaman Staff comes from Alaska, most likely the Tlingit nation. An intricate carving of an open-mouth raven with abalone eyes stares back at you through the display. This tool would have been carried by a clan shaman, aiding them in spiritual work. Visually this artifact is a stunning and well-preserved sample of cultural patrimony. Let’s take a brief look at some of its materials and use.
Materials:
This harpoon staff is made of lightweight, rot-resistant, long-living Western redcedar (thuja plicata). Found along the rainy coasts of the Pacific Northwest, homeland of the Tlingit (People of the Tides), Redcedar is known to live up to 1,500 years. This keystone species was heavily relied upon for medicine, clothing, shelter, transportation, tools, art, and spiritual significance. Today, dramatic habitat changes spell trouble for this once-abundant resource. Fortunately for us, the rot-resilient properties of this wood have preserved this 1880s staff for our continued viewing pleasure.
Abalone, or mother of pearl, is another locally sourced material used in this staff’s creation. Alaskan Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) was an important food source for the Tlingit and other Pacific Northwest Nations. However, its shell is more brittle than that of more southern species, like those found in the waters off the coast of present-day California. For this reason, decorative abalone shells that came from the south were a popular trade item. Abalone was a sacred material used for art and adornment, as exampled in the inset pieces used as the eyes of the raven on this staff, but its use was also ubiquitous in the practical tools of everyday society. It is still a highly valued material for today's Indigenous artisans, though a significant decline in wild abalone means most of today's stock is farmed. Abalone was such a vital portion of everyday life that it even found place in Tlingit aition. Abalone is said to have been worn as an adornment on Yéil (Raven), a trickster spirit creature believed to have brought light to the newly formed world.
Use:
This harpoon raven staff was a spiritual tool used by íx̱t’ (shaman), who were the living connection between the human and spirit world. Not just anyone could become a shaman. Such title and responsibility only come either hereditarily or through signifying experiences. It is a mystical vocation, not to be ignored. Any attempts to evade such a calling could result in great harm. Once initiated into their new role as shaman, a person would be given the regalia and paraphernalia of their predecessor. A shaman’s job required the ability to walk in both the human and the spirit world. This was achieved through tools like this staff, which housed the very spirits that could transform a shaman into spirit form.
A shaman’s workload consisted of acting as a military advisor, curing spiritual illnesses, assuring success in food gathering, acting as a contact with clansmen outside the village, predicting future events, and maintaining the general well-being of the community. Shamans didn’t do all this alone, they had a large support group of assistants and family. Once a major part of Tlingit society, every clan had its own shaman until persecution brought forced changes in the 1800s. Though shamanism no longer exists in the same way today, traces of traditional rituals can be seen in modern practices (Worl).
This Raven staff was most likely used for spiritual ceremonies, but there are other connections to ravens in Tlingit society. Raven is also one of two moieties, a clear and distinct division of halves within society. Following the matrilineal line, Moieties are further reduced to clans and clan houses. Current research isn't clear whether this Raven shaman staff is important because of its link with the spirit creature Raven or if it's meant as a symbol of connection to the Raven moiety. What is clear is that the raven has great meaning to the Tlingit people and we are fortunate to offer this powerful artifact for display. We encourage you to visit to get a first-hand look.
-M.Gibson
Sources:
Alice Huang, Alice. “Cedar.” Indigenousfoundations, 2009, indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/cedar/.
Bolen, Anne. “Transformations: Groundbreaking Glassmaker Preston Singletary Brings North Pacific Coast Cultures to Life.” NMAI Magazine, American Indian Magazine, 2021, www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/transformations.
Bounas, Thanasis. “Kinship of the Tlingit.” Beautiful British Columbia.Net, 26 July 2018, beautifulbritishcolumbia.net/2018/07/26/kinship-of-the-tlingit/.
“Our History.” Tlingit & Haida - About Us - History, www.ccthita.org/about/history/index.html. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.
“Shell’s inside (Abalone, Mother of Pearl) - Salam Inua.” Alutiiq Museum, 2020, alutiiqmuseum.org/collection/index.php/Detail/word/613#:~:text=The%20Tlingit%20people%20have%20long,their%20faces%20with%20spruce%20gum.
Worl, Rosita. “Tlingit Spirituality and Shamanism in the 21st Century.” YouTube, Sealaska Heritage Institute, 19 June 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAuzZUR61Dk.