Coast Salish mountain goat horn bracelets: evidence of change and continuity in Coast Salish art production and use during the early contact period on the Norhtwest Coast of America

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1998

Authors

Leece, Robert Douglas

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Abstract

This thesis is an ethnohistorical consideration of Coast Salish mountain goat horn bracelets. This study presents three primary themes: the significance of bracelets in Coast Salish society, the replacement of mountain goat horn bracelets with trade materials, and the ultimate disappearance of the mountain goat horn bracelets. These themes are addressed through a consideration of the general historical context, the collection history of twenty-two examples of mountain goat horn bracelets, a stylistic analysis of the same twenty-two bracelets, and an analysis of the impact of certain indigenous Coast Salish cultural practices on the bracelets' history. Major findings include the identification of standard compositional types used for the decoration of the bracelets, a relationship between Coast Salish funerary practices and the disappearance of the bracelets, and the speculative conclusion that the development of an environment of popular culture during the land-based fur trade produced changes in Coast Salish material culture.

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