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910

Northwest Coast Kwakiutl Haida Indian Raven Mask

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:10.00 USD Estimated At:100,000.00 - 150,000.00 USD
Northwest Coast Kwakiutl Haida Indian Raven Mask
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Ceremonial Wood Mask. Tlingit Kwakiutl Culture. Tag on the underside reads Ceremonial Wood Mask, depicting a mythical bird, wood, pigment, collected in 1905 by G.H. Raley Kitimat British Columbia. Second half of the 19th Century. Collected at Kitimat British Columbia by George Henry Raley. Another tag on the underside from Hudson's Bay Company with an inventory number. Archival preservative appears to have been applied to the surface at some point, to prevent paint loss. Some wear and damage from use and age present throughout. Fully Articulated. Institution Worthy. 44" long, 10 1/4" wide, 13 1/2" tall. 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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