Bunn-Marcuse, Katie The Burke Museum, University of Washington
Ceremonial and Secular Body Adornment on the Northern Northwest Coast
This paper examines the shifting roles that body adornment plays in public displays of identity and in the personal construction of identity and social relations considering both ceremonial and non-ceremonial contexts. Additionally, this paper tracks gender- based changes in body adornment–including jewelry, tattoos and regalia–from early nineteenth century practices, through the restrictions of the Victorian missionary era, to late twentieth century resurrections of earlier practices. I examine the relationship between tattooing and bracelets among the Tlingit and Haida to articulate the changing canvases for crest display, and to revisit the previously understood relationship between these two artforms. The paper examines bracelets as markers of heritage and connections to past generations, and explores how familial and cultural connections are symbolized by jewelry. Lastly, I will share the stories of contemporary Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian artists and others for whom jewelry is a cherished marker of social and personal connections.
