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Source Description
After Europeans introduced firearms, the Indigenous Northwest Coast dagger transformed from a weapon into a status symbol worn in a sheath that hung from the neck. That may be the case with this example, which depicts a bear’s head over a supine human.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
97063
label
Dagger (Gwálaa)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
97063
contentType
object
title
Dagger (Gwálaa)
description
After Europeans introduced firearms, the Indigenous Northwest Coast dagger transformed from a weapon into a status symbol worn in a sheath that hung from the neck. That may be the case with this example, which depicts a bear’s head over a supine human.
date
late 1800s–early 1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60780015
genreSpecific
Arms and Armor
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 3.8 x 4.8 cm (1 1/2 x 1 7/8 in.); Blade: 19.1 cm (7 1/2 in.)
cul
Native North America, Northwest Coast, Alaska, Tlingit
accession
1916.72
Source extras
tec
ivory, fiber, leather, metal (steel), shell
tombstone
Dagger (Gwálaa), late 1800s–early 1900s. Native North America, Northwest Coast, Alaska, Tlingit. Ivory, fiber, leather, metal (steel), shell; overall: 3.8 x 4.8 cm (1 1/2 x 1 7/8 in.); blade: 19.1 cm (7 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of J. H. Wade, 1916.720
collection
AA - Native North America
creditline
Gift of J. H. Wade
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:13:45.921000
sourceId
97063
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Native North America
med
ivory, fiber, leather, metal (steel), shell
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
6da5d7cb65f5fd02