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908

Northwest Coast Haida Gwaii Indian Chiefs Mask

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:10.00 USD Estimated At:100,000.00 - 150,000.00 USD
Northwest Coast Haida Gwaii Indian Chiefs Mask
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Chiefs Eagle Mask. Tlingit Culture. Tag reads Unknown Artist, Haida or Tlingi Priv. Sale Masset Jun 1973. Second half of the 19th Century. Collected at Masset British Columbia by George Henry Raley. The box in the previous lot was used to store this mask. 8" by 5 5/8" by 5 1/4". Archival preservative appears to have been applied to the surface at some point, to prevent paint loss. Top, back side of mask exhibits an old area of loss and conservation as shown. Institution Worthy. Related examples of this work can be found in the Royal British Columbia Museum. Provenance: Private Collection, From the Family of George Henry Raley, through descent. George Henry Raley came to Canada In his early teens to settle near Brockville, Ont. An all - round athlete, sportsman and naturalist, be entered the ministry in the Bay of Quinte Conference of the former Methodist Church in 1884. In 1803 he transferred to B.C. His first Mission was at Kitiniat Indian village, then one of the most Isolated missions on the B.C. coast. It Is three miles from the present giant industrial site of Kiti-mat. There, with his wife, the only white woman for miles, he spent 13 years, ministering to the needs of the Indians. He was their justice of the peace, judge, postmaster, doctor, meteorologist and general adviser. With a tiny hand press he turned out the north coast's first newspaper in 1896. He was editor, publisher and sales manager of the tiny quarterly. DR. Raley compiled the first dictionary of northern B.C Indian dialects. He spent a great part of his time in Kitimat teaching the Indians to speak, read and write English. In 1906 the tireless missionary moved to Fort Simpson, where he rebuilt the historic; church built by Rev. Thomas Crosby. In 1914 he transferred to the Coqualeetza Indian school at Sardis, where he was principal until retiring in 1934. He had lived since with his daughter, Mrs. G. H. Charlton, in Vancouver. Dr. Raley held fellowships in the Royal Geographical Society and the Society of Arts. He had the degree of doctor of divinity conferred on him by the Union Theological College of B.C for his humanitarian work amongst Indians.
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