UNIDENTIFIED HAIDA ARTIST, SKIDEGATE, HAIDA GWAII
LATE TRADE PIPE , 1890S
 
argillite and bone, 3.25 x 11 x 1.25 in (8.3 x 27.9 x 3.2 cm)
unsigned.
 
This pipe is a cross between an early style of trade pipe with a long, integral stem, and a late period densely composed panel pipe, carved together in a single unit. The end of the smoking stem is reinforced with a bone ferrule to prevent cracking. On the wide end of the panel pipe, a bear and a human battle it out. The man is on his back, his head bent completely back, his hair and beard identifying him as a human. Above the human figure a bear is attacking, tearing at his jaw with sharp teeth. Behind them, a seated human has his head tilted far back. This man’s arms and hands are different left and right, each side involved in separate tasks. The last figure in the group is less easy to identify but is probably a bird, perhaps a young chick.
Steven C. Brown
 
PROVENANCE
Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle.