MALI.ERY.J 



HAIDA CARVINGS AFRICAN KNIFE. 



243 



Fig. 184.— Wolf 

 head. Haidil, 



This uniou of the human figure with that of other animals is of in- 

 terest in comparison with the well-known forms of similar character in 

 the art of Egypt and Assyria. 



The feet of the accompanying Figure 184 cannot be 

 seen, being hidden in the head of the figure beneath. 

 It is squatting, with its hands on its knees, and has a 

 wolfs head. Arms, legs, mouth, jaws, nostrils, and ear 

 holes are scarlet ; eyebrows, irises, and edges of the ears 

 black. The figure is reproduced from The Northwest 

 Coast of America, being results of recent ethnological 

 researches from the collections of the Royal Museums 

 at Berlin. (Trans, from German.) New York, PL 7, Fig. .">. 



The accompanying illustration, Figure 185, represents 

 a knife from Africa, which bears upon both sides of the 

 blade incised characters of the human form, strikingly 

 similar to those found among the Ojibwa. The lines 

 running upward from the head are identical with an 

 Ojibwa form of representing a meda, or Shaman, while 

 the hour-glass form of body is also frequently found, 

 though generally used to designate a woman, the lower 

 part of the body representing the skirt. In the present instance, it may 

 have allusion to the peculiar skirt like dress often worn by the men 

 among the tribes of Northern Africa. 



The lines extending from the middle of the body 

 downward to below the skirt and terminating in 

 an irregular knob somewhat resemble the Pueblo 

 method of designating sex, the male being shown 

 by a small cross, and the female by a simple, 

 short, vertical line attached to the periuaeum. 



The upper character, in B, in addition to the 

 line and circle extending downward from the lower 

 extremity, shows a bird's leg and toes at either 

 side. This is also, according to Schoolcraft, an 

 Ojibwa method of depicting a person or being who 

 is endowed with the power of flight into the upper 

 regions, hence one of superior knowledge. 



The hisfory of the knife here figured is received 

 from Mr. Thomas M. Chatard, of the National 

 Museum, who in turn obtained it from his father, 

 Mr. F. E. Chatard, Baltimore, Maryland, who 

 writes that it was obtained at Cape Mesurado, 

 Africa, in November, 1822, where the natives had 

 attacked a recently established colony. The Afri- 

 cans were repulsed, and the knife was subse- 

 quently picked up on the battle-field and brought 

 to America by the late William Seton, an officer b. 



of the United States Navy. FlG ' ] 8 I £&£££ °" au 



