Amulet, bound captive
Life Story
The image of the bound captive appears on a variety of Tlingit sculptures (Harner and Elsasser, 1965:92; Collins etal., 1973:269-70,277; Jonaitis, 1986: plates 51, 60), and is usually interpreted as the figure of a witch. More properly, the term should be sorcerer, the distinction being that a witch has intrinsic evil powers, whereas a sorcerer uses certain materials and rituals to bring about evil or illness. Swanton (1908:467) and de Laguna (1972:736) discuss ‘witches’ and the procedure by which a shaman first identified a witch by divination, and then forced a confession by binding and torture.
This compact stone sculpture, in which the captive’s long hair is twisted into a cord that binds the wrists, vividly expresses the anguish of the victim. Witch imagery is usually associated with shaman’s equipment, and this carving was possibly a charm used in the diagnosis of sorcery. The figure has no labret and so probably represents a man.
Steven Hooper, 1997
Entry taken from Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection, Vol. 2: Pacific, African and Native North American Art, edited by Steven Hooper (Yale University Press, 1997) p. 269.
Exhibitions
'Empowering Art: Indigenous Creativity and Activism from North America's Northwest Coast', Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, 12/3/23 - 30/7/23
Provenance
Formerly in the William Oldham collection.
Purchased by Robert and Lisa Sainsbury from K. J. Hewett in 1973.
Accessioned into the Sainsbury Centre, Univeristy of East Anglia circa 1994.
Not on display
Title/Description: Amulet, bound captive
Born: 1800 c. - 1899 c.
Object Type: Figure
Materials: Stone
Measurements: h. 32 x w. 25 x d. 25 mm
Accession Number: 501
Historic Period: 19th century
Production Place: North America, Northwest Coast, The Americas
Cultural Group: Tlingit