This model dance paddle was created by a prolific, but as yet unidentified, Tlingit master artist who likely also created the Multiplying Wolf House Screen (Wudzixeedi Gooch) of the Sitka Kaagwaantaan, now in the possession of the Sitka National Historical Park. [1] The shared proportions and shapes in the formline designs between this paddle and the screen strongly suggest that the same maker created both. In particular, the heads of the two Wolf figures in profile on the right and left of the Multiplying Wolf Screen exhibit a distinct affinity with this dance paddle, especially in the way the artist renders the ears, head, snout, cheeks, and the nested ovoids that make up the eyes and pupils on both works. Additionally, the organizational logic of how long, double split-u’s and standalone salmon-trout heads are deployed on both the paddle and the screen underscores the relationship between the two designs.

1. For more information on the Multiplying Wolf Screen and to access photos, please see Wudzixeedi Gooch “Multiplying Wolf” House Screen and Wudzixeedi Gooch House Screen, both on the National Park Service website. Also, please see “The Centennial Potlatch” PDF by Robert W. Preucel and Lucy F. Williams, from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (“Penn Museum,” see link below).
https://www.nps.gov/places/wudzixeedi-gooch-multiplying-wolf-house-screen.htm
https://www.nps.gov/places/wudzixeedi-gooch-house-screen.htm
https://www.penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/47-2/The Centennial Potlatch.pdf