Description:

Chief James "Jim" Hunter (1868-after 1938), Makah
STELLER'S JAY RATTLE MADE FOR HAL GEORGE, QUILEAUTE, FIRST QUARTER 20TH CENTURY

wood, paint, stone pebbles, cotton thread
4.5 x 18 x 3 in — 11.4 x 45.7 x 7.6 cm

Estimate: $1,000—2,000 CAD

  • Provenance: Chief James "Jim" Hunter, Neah Bay, WA
    Hal George, Neah Bay, WA
    by descent to Gloria George, Washington, USA
    Acquired from the above by Jack Curtright & Son, Seattle, WA, 12 February 1992
    Private Collection, Toronto, ON
  • Dimensions: 4.5 x 18 x 3 in — 11.4 x 45.7 x 7.6 cm
  • Medium: wood, paint, stone pebbles, cotton thread
  • Notes: Made in the form of a Steller’s Jay, the present rattle was carved by Chief James “Jim” Hunter, a resident of Neah Bay and son of the last Chief of the Ozette Village near the Northern tip of Neah Lake close to the Washington coast.[1] The rattle was owned by an important elder on the Quileute reservation, Harold “Hal” George (1894-after 1978), and was acquired by the dealer, Jack Curtright in 1992 from Harold George’s daughter Gloria George, after a fire had damaged the rattle and burnt down the George Family home on the LaPush reservation.[2]

    James Hunter was a carver of Sea Wolf headdresses, rattles, paddles, and model canoes in the 1920-30s, carving both for his community and for the market, selling his carvings at the Queets Cabins Store, as well as at Hoh River and Neah Bay.[3]

    Harold George was active in the preservation of Quileute-Makah traditions, and was well known in the LaPush community as a storyteller. When the Anthropologist Leo J. Frachenberg visited LaPush and the surrounding area in preparation for his 1921 publication The Ceremonial Societies of the Quileute Indians, George was a principal informant, noted by Frachenberg as speaking English in addition to Quileute and Makah.[4]

    Please see the last image in this listing for a photograph of Quileute basket weaver Carrie Gray holding the rattle prior to the fire at the George Family home.

    [1] Various Authors, Told By the Pioneers: Tales of Frontier Life as Told by Those who Remember the Days of the Territory and Early Statehood of Washington (Montana: Kessinger Publishing, 2010), 20.
    [2] Personal correspondence with Jack Curtright, 2020.
    [3] Ibid
    [4] M. Terry Thompson, Salish Myths And Legends: One People's Stories (Nebraska: Univ of Nebraska Press, 2008), 213.
  • Condition: Condition commensurate with age.
    Some retouching to paint, checking, and minor losses.
    Restoration notable to tip of beak.
    Please contact the specialist for further condition information.

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September 11, 2025 3:00 PM EDT
Toronto, ON, CA

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