This argillite panel pipe may depict a real incident—an unfortunate sailor caught in the ship’s rigging and dragged to his death. Haida carvers became thoroughly familiar with the appearance of 19th-century sailing ships, and some Haida men joined crews as seamen, voyaging to Hawai‘i and beyond before returning home.

Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian
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The National Museum of the American Indian  |  George Gustav Heye Center  |  New York, NY

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