Fig. 12: Headdress. Tlingit.
 Last third of the 18th century.
18.7 x 17.6 cm. 
Wood, shell, copper, silver, polychrome.

This headdress is in the shape of a human head with a bird's beak. Underneath, incised lines represent stylized feathers. A second wide mouth is open to reveal teeth. The ears and claws are made of copper, and the pupils of the eyes are of silver. This is a totemic creature, an ancestor and the progenitor of a clan, which transmits strength and other specific qualities to its descendants. The image here appears to be a syncratic representation that includes human, eagle, and whale elements.