Lot 274
Native American, Pacific Northwest, Coast Salish, ca. 20th century CE. A beautifully carved and culturally resonant jade map, this 20th-century Coast Salish artwork transforms the geography of the Pacific Northwest into a sacred sculptural form. Shaped from a single piece of mottled green nephrite, the outline mirrors the coastal curves of the Salish Sea, encompassing the watery channels, islands, and peninsulas of southern British Columbia and northern Washington. Along one central edge, a deeply incised stylized eagle eye or thunderbird motif evokes the visual language of Coast Salish iconography - bold lines, internal ovoids, and sweeping arcs that signal vision, guardianship, and ancestral memory. These carved elements appear to mirror traditional forms found in spindle whorls, blankets, and ceremonial objects, affirming this work's spiritual and territorial resonance. Size: 12.6" L x 5.1" W (32 cm x 13 cm)
The use of nephrite jade, a stone both venerated and rare in Indigenous Northwest Coast traditions, adds symbolic weight. Known for its strength and luster, jade has long been used for both ritual and practical objects - blades, pendants, and heirlooms passed between generations. This piece, with its pierced base for suspension or mounting, may have been created as a pendant, ceremonial marker, or display piece meant to honor cultural continuity and place-based identity.
The silhouette, at once abstract and geographically faithful, invites viewers to see the land not as lines on a map but as kin - lived, known, and revered. It gestures to a modern Indigenous cartography that blends deep time with contemporary pride, transforming the familiar shape of the seas edge into a declaration of belonging.
Please note this item may fall under the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act and may not be eligible for international shipping. Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian objects are only eligible to ship within the United States.
Provenance: private El Dorado Hills, California, USA collection
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#194141
- Condition: Intact and excellent with smooth surfaces and fine detail.
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