Twana, Puget Sound Coast Salish, Washington
Abalone shell
Height 2⅜ in. (6 cm), width 2⅜ in. (6 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Washington; Myron Eells D.D., Seattle
Publication: Robert H. Ruby and John A. Brown, Myron Eells and the Puget Sound Indians, Superior Publishing Co., 1976, p. 37
These abalone shell earrings relate to the personal ornament traditions of the Twana people of the Puget Sound region. Abalone was valued along the Northwest Coast for ornament, exchange, and ceremonial dress, its iridescent surface prized across a wide geographic range. The pair was collected in the 19th century by Myron Eells D.D. and is recorded in connection with his sketchbooks.
The squared form, scalloped edges, and suspension holes show a practical construction intended for wear rather than display alone. Their publication in Myron Eells and the Puget Sound Indians places the pair within early regional collecting and ethnographic study. The earrings are restrained in scale but carry strong cultural and historical presence.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Twana, Puget Sound Coast Salish, Washington
Abalone shell
Height 2⅜ in. (6 cm), width 2⅜ in. (6 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Washington; Myron Eells D.D., Seattle
Publication: Robert H. Ruby and John A. Brown, Myron Eells and the Puget Sound Indians, Superior Publishing Co., 1976, p. 37
These abalone shell earrings relate to the personal ornament traditions of the Twana people of the Puget Sound region. Abalone was valued along the Northwest Coast for ornament, exchange, and ceremonial dress, its iridescent surface prized across a wide geographic range. The pair was collected in the 19th century by Myron Eells D.D. and is recorded in connection with his sketchbooks.
The squared form, scalloped edges, and suspension holes show a practical construction intended for wear rather than display alone. Their publication in Myron Eells and the Puget Sound Indians places the pair within early regional collecting and ethnographic study. The earrings are restrained in scale but carry strong cultural and historical presence.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
