Tlingit Shamanism and Hair
In the 19th century, hair was a vital source of power that fueled Tlingit shamanism. Hair was so valuable that even European colonizers like Naval Lieutenant George Emmons, noted the use of human hair in his ethnographic research.
Shamans were a special group to the Tlingit who communicated with human and non-human powers or people. Typically, each tribe or clan would have a shaman, who was responsible for curing disease, detecting the use of black magic, spying on enemies, and making military predictions in times of war. The Tlingit people believe shaman's received these powers because they were influenced by and had control over superhuman spirits known as sing yeik.
Human hair was so valuable to shamanism because the Tlingit believed that hair was a part of the person, even when removed from the body. This belief guided the Tlingit peoples' use of hair to enhance shaman tools used for dance, personal ornamentation, and ritual during the 19th century.
This shaman’s comb was made by the Tlingit people between 1840 and 1860. Made of whalebone and braided human hair, this comb would not be used to detangle hair. Tlingit shamans were not allowed to cut or comb their hair, as it would diminish their healing and spiritual powers. Whalebone combs like this one would be used to tie up a shaman’s hair when he was not performing his usual duties for the community. The length of hair attached to the comb would likely have been used to fasten the shaman’s hair securely to his head and likely belonged to a Tlingit chief or another Tlingit person whose hair enhanced the shaman’s powers. The individual to whom the hair belonged would have needed to trust the shaman deeply since hair could be used to produce sickness or misfortune if treated improperly.
Housed in the American Museum of Natural History
ID#19/448
Made by a Tlingit artist in the 1880s, this traditional Tlingit box drum was made in modern day Wrangell, Alaska. The body of the drum is made of red cedar wood and paint, with small amounts of human hair and opercula shell adorning the top of the box drum. This drum was first acquired in 1948 as a part of the Axel Rasmussen collection of Northwest Coastal art, which was purchased by the Portland Art Museum along with the rest of Axel’s collection of Native American art and belongings. This drum and human hair attached would likely have played an important role in a shaman's induction ceremony, which required dance and music to give a shaman their signature powers.
Housed in the Portland Art Museum
ID# 48.3.490A,B
Above is an image of a Tlingit shaman rattle. Collected by George Emmons between 1880 and 1890, this rattle is made of wood and human hair. Rattles like this one would have been used to allow a shaman to connect with the spirit world. When shook, the hair on this rattle would have played a key role in allowing a shaman to communicate with spirits. The hair in this rattle would have been secured to the rattle using small wooden pegs hammered between the hair and the wooden body of the rattle. This particular rattle was made in Katkwaahltu, Alaska and was collected by Emmons when he was stationed in Alaska, during which he began to interview and take the belongings for the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast.
Housed in the American Museum of Natural History
ID# E/693
This mask was taken by Emmons between the 1880s and 1890s and belongs to the Tlingit Gun Nah Ho clan. These kinds of masks were in many cases, meant to act like as a portrait of a specific individual. This specific mask is meant to depict the spirit of a drowned Tlingit man who only half transformed into an otter. This mask is made from wood, pigment, hide, bear fur, operculum, metal, string, and red human hair. The red beard in this mask is a particularly interesting feature. In Tlingit culture, red or curly hair was a sign that someone was meant to be a shaman. Therefore, red hair was seen as quite powerful and fitting for masks, especially those that acted as physical representations of a particular individual or spirit.
Housed in the American Museum of Natural History
ID# E/400
Tlingit Shamanism and Hair at the End of the 19th Century
By the mid-20th century, there were very few Tlingit shamans left. European colonizers and collectors like Emmons forced Tlingit shamans to cut their hair and abandon their practices. In some communities, the introduction of new diseases caused Tlingit shamans to be seen as ill-equipped to treat foreign diseases like smallpox brought by Europeans.
Nonetheless, it is clear that during the 19th century, hair was a vital source of power and connection to the Tlingit. From braiding to peg-in-hole techniques, hair was attached to different items using methods that reflected their specific purpose. Human hair was used by the Tlingit peoples in masks, combs, rattles, and drums to better connect individuals with the spirit world, represent specific individuals, enhance the power of shamans, and help induce new shamans. To the Tlingit people, human hair had the power to connect the physical and spirit world and was therefore, crucial to Tlingit shamanism during the 19th century.