468 of 168 lots
468
Aleutian Figural Needle Container 
Estimate: $1,000-$2,000
Live Auction
Native American Art: The Lifetime Collection of Forrest Fenn, Part I
Description
Aleutian Figural Needle Container 
pre-1500

carved into a male figure, standing tall with crossed arms
 
height 3-1/2 inches

The figure is actually a hollow tube through which a piece of buckskin was threaded. A woman's needles, valuable and easily lost or misplaced, were stuck in buckskin, then the strip was pulled into the tube, where it held the needles snug and safe. (Hanson 1994: 256)

Published:
Spirits in the Art (Hanson 1994: 257, plate 266)