This large, old Haida bracelet likely dates to the fourth quarter of the 19th century. The rolled coin silver, clasp, and elegant Split Sea Lion design all point to a late 19th century origin. Although the identity of this master jeweler is currently unknown, there are three very similar bracelets by this same hand in museum collections: two in the Burke Museum in Seattle (identification numbers 1560 and 1561) and one in the Museum of Anthropology at UBC (identification number 3261/71). The two bracelets in the Burke both depict Brown Bears in the same split manner as the Sea Lion bracelet, with similar crosshatching, dashes, and complex split-U forms between the two halves of the Brown Bears. Both of these bracelets were collected by the ethnographer and collector George T. Emmons (1852-1945), who also collected for the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution (which also helps map out a date range for the Sea Lion bracelet). The bracelet in the MOA is also very similar to the Sea Lion bracelet, but depicts a Waasgo instead, as indicated by the Bear-like head and Killer Whale dorsal fins on the MOA example. This bracelet was formerly in the collections of John Livingston (1951-2019) and then Elspeth McConnell (1931-2017) begore being donated to the MOA.

Despite not being currently attributed to a maker, it’s very likely that this artist will be identified in the future. Distinctive features include the preponderance of complex split-U forms, the double dashing on primary formlines, the wide, perfectly triangular teeth, and the tight diagonal lines in tertiary spaces.