Art, Prehistoric; Folk literature -- History and criticism
In figs. 172 and 173 I give two representations of the hawk (or fish
hawk) made by the Kwakiutl. The treatment is different from that of the
Haida, but the sharply curved beak is found here also. On the paddle
(fig. 172), (1) represents the eyebrow and ear, (2) the cheek, (3) the
wing, (4) the beak. Fig. 173 is taken from a painting on a settee. On
the back is shown a man with ears (4) over the head, like those of the
Haida animals. (1) is the navel, (2) the wrinkles running down from
the nose to the corners of the mouth, (3) is painting on the cheeks.
The head of the hawk is placed on each side of the human figure. On
the lower border of the settee is the lower jaw (5), over the eyes the
feathers on the head (6), the eye next to the head on the side wing of
the settee, is the shoulder joint. The bone of the wing is shown in
(7), the long wing feather in (8), the feathers of the body in (9).
[Illustration: Fig. 172. Painting on paddle representing hawk,
Kwakiutl.]
[Illustration: Fig. 173. Painting on back and one end of a settee
representing man and hawk, Kwakiutl.]
[Illustration: Fig. 174. Handle of spoon of mountain-goat horn
representing dragon-fly.]
[Illustration: Fig. 175. Berry spoon with engraving representing
dragon-fly.]
The dragon-fly is represented with a large head, a long segmented body
and two pairs of wings. The representation on the headdress, fig. 159,
has been referred to before. The head is human but provided with animal
ears. It has also been mentioned that the animal with segmented body
in fig. 166 may be a dragon-fly, although it is lacking the wings.
According to Edensaw, the spoon handle (fig. 174) also represents the
dragon-fly. It has a strongly curved beak; wings are placed under
the lower jaw and the segmented body forms the tip of the handle. A
particularly good representation of a dragon-fly is found on the Haida
berry spoon[107] (fig. 175). Attention should be called to the spiral
proboscis on this specimen.
[107] These flat, wooden spoons are used for eating soapberries which
are beaten to a foam.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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