Amulets were made in a wide variety of shapes and sizes on the Northwest Coast, some for the use of shamans, who saw them as receptacles of spirit power that could be placed on a patient to neutralize the source of their problems. Others were made by or for ordinary people as talismans for good luck and the materialization of dreams. This small example appears to have been made from antler, the carver taking advantage of the natural curves and points of the material. Abalone shell inlays catch the light and enhance the appearance of the pendant. It has been suggested (in Wardwell, Tangible Visions) that the face at the top is the abbreviated head of a bear, a frequently seen shamanic image.

Steven C. Brown

References: For a section on amulets, see Allen Wardwell, Tangible Visions: Northwest Coast Indian Shamanism and its Art, (New York: The Monacelli Press, 1996), p. 165-194.