This collection was used to inform an analysis of traditional halibut hook forms, sizes and dimensions and was recently published as an article in Arctic Anthropology. We are very grateful to the creators of the RRN and the many Nations, curators, funders and institutions whose belongings are shared on this platform and which enabled this work. To learn more, please download, read, and share the article below and get in touch with any questions

Salmen-Hartley, J., McKechnie, I., 2023. An Examination of Indigenous Halibut Fishing Technology on the Northwest Coast of North America. Arctic Anthropology 59(1):87–105. link to the article with a paywall https://doi.org/10.3368/aa.59.1.87
link to a preprint http://hdl.handle.net/1828/15429

please be in touch with any thoughts or comments

Interpretative Label:
The Soul Catcher (Haboolm Ksinaalgat) gives healing power to the shamans (Halayt) of the Tsimshian and Gitxsan indigenous groups located in the Pacific Northwest. Shamans enter the spirt realm to ask spirit guardians their help to locate a lost soul and return it back to the original person. Another form of healing is to help eliminate a bad spirit from someone’s body. The Soul Catcher is designed with a specific animal on both ends and a distinct face in the middle that signifies the connection between the physical and spiritual realms.

Name: Soul Catcher
Culture: Tsimshian and Gitxsan
Location: Pacific Northwest (Alaska, USA)
Material: Grizzly Bear Bone
Creation Date: 1850
Donor: Elspeth McConnell
MOA Catalogue Number: 3260/131

https://www.rrncommunity.org/items/615092?filters=culture+Tsimshian#?pg=item_615092&pgi=0
https://www.rrncommunity.org/items/615092?filters=culture+Tsimshian#?pg=item_615092&pgi=1

Term 2 Assignment IV