Puberty collar
This woman’s necklace from the Tahltan people of the upper Stikine River in British Columbia is a wooden collar covered with tanned skin and decorated with beads, dentalium shells, and wool tassels. At the time when a girl first started menstruating she withdrew from the community for a year or more, wore special clothing, and underwent training in the skills of women. For her “coming out” when she reentered society, a woman of high rank and wealth would put on a beaded ceremonial collar like this one.
Culture:
Athabascan
Region:
Stikine River, British Columbia, Canada
Object Category:
Ceremony
Dimensions:
Width 50cm
Accession Date:
1907
Source:
George T. Emmons (collector)
Museum:
National Museum of Natural History
Museum ID Number:
E248388
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