Made of carved ivory. Sea otter (fide John Taxsac, 1962). Sea otter lying on back, front flippers to face. Black stain added. Used as charm in kayak. Aleut name: changtulix or chngatux̂.
Donor:
Alaska Commercial Company, Benjamin Bristol, and Older University Collections
Collection place:
Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Verbatim coll. place:
Alaska
Culture or time period:
Aleut
Collector:
unknown
Collection date:
1898
Materials:
Paint (coating)
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Zoomorphic
Function:
5.2 Magic: Objects Associated with Practices reflecting confidence in the ability to manipulate supernatural agencies
Accession date:
1904
Context of use:
This is an ivory, black-stained sea otter that often placed in kayak bows, just about the right size to fit into a hand. Sea otters are seen by Aleut as a symbol of unity of the male kinship line. This particular object could be traced back specifically to the far western Aleutian islands, as opposed to, say, Unalaska, because such a symbol was particularly prevalent in Nʼiɣvŋgun (Ниғвңгун) culture of the Lower Amur. In Aleut mythology they are believed to be transformed humans. They were not threatening but also not afraid, approaching daily human life much like a house pet, who are frequently anthropomorphized in mainstream North American culture, with a joyful and harmless temperament. Despite a high status compared to other sea animals, they were still hunted for their fur and their meat was highly sought after, especially that of baby otters which was similar to lamb. Charms were often used to attract them, but Aleuts didn’t see themselves hunting otters, but rather saw otters hunting them and sacrificing themselves. They were exploited from around April to June, or in Aleut measures of time, from agalúgix’ qisagúnax’ to cagalígim tugidā. Cagalígim tugidā means the month of seal yearning, and when the slaughter of fur seals begins. Russians often exploited sea otters for their skin and traded them to China, however in pursuit of such economic gains the sea otter population nearly went extinct.
Department:
Native US and Canada (except California)
Dimensions:
length 9.2 centimeters
Comment:
Photo: yes. Published: "Aleut Art", Lydia Black, p. 117. Remarks: Roza Liapunova says this is pose Aleuts like to capture. cf. Black, Lydia T. "Eskimo motifs in Aleut art and folklore." Études/Inuit/Studies (1983): 3-23. Black, Lydia T. "Animal world of the Aleuts." Arctic anthropology (1998): 126-135. Jochelson, Waldemar. History, ethnology and anthropology of the Aleut. Carnegie institution of Washington, 1933. Anthropology of the North Pacific Rim Fitzhugh and Chaussonet SI Press
Loans:
S1983-1984 #52: Oakland Museum of California (May 9, 1984–September 7, 1984)