Sea Bear Crest hat (Tsa.an Xuu.ujee Dajangee)

Dateca. 1870

Label TextIndigenous People of Haida Gwaii built their villages of sturdy cedar longhouses at strategic sites facing the sea. Oral histories tell of origins from the primordial waters surrounding their islands. Part bear and part whale, this creature—strengthened by its connection to both land and sea—appears to be surfacing from the water, dorsal fin slicing the waves. Atop a steep continental shelf that results in a constant upwelling of waters, the Haida Gwaii islands are home to many unique underwater species—the subjects of orally conveyed legends, songs, and masks.

Object number83.228

ProvenanceMark Tobey, until 1957; John H. Hauberg, Seattle, Washington, 1957-1983; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington

Exhibition HistoryBellingham, Washington, Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Arts of A Vanished Era, June 12 - Oct. 31, 1968. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Our Blue Planet: Global Visions of Water, Mar. 18 - May 30, 2022. Published ReferencesThe Spirit Within: Northwest Coast Native Art from the John H. Hauberg Collection, Seattle Art Museum, 1995, pg. 108; Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Arts of a Vanished Era, Bellingham, Washington, p.35, 1968.

Credit LineGift of John H. Hauberg

Dimensions10 1/2 x 15 3/4 in. (26.67 x 40cm)

MediumRed cedar and paint