JOE BAKER: Many times, the art from tribal communities really become diaries and recordings of historical importance…

TANTOO: Joe Baker, of the Lenape Nation…

JOE: They really tell stories. They are narrative in their being. And from them we can follow the course of history.

[SFX: INCLUDE AMBIENT NATURAL OR SYNTH SOUNDS AS APPROPRIATE IN NARRATION BELOW TO MAINTAIN VISITOR ATTENTION]

TANTOO: This 17th century comb fashioned from moose antler, for example, conveys several historical and cultural narratives simultaneously.

You’ll notice, first of all, that the comb depicts two figures, at least one of whom wears a European tricorn hat and frock coat. Their arms are raised, perhaps in friendly greeting.

The delicately carved vignette offers a glimpse into the complex narrative of European contact – as the burgeoning relationships between the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, Confederacy and colonial powers brought new opportunities, new technologies, and new conflicts. Even the form of the comb itself may reflect aspects of this contact narrative. Older combs typically feature 4 or 5 thickly fashioned tines. But the many slender tines of this comb suggest that it might have been carved with metal tools, perhaps acquired through European trade.

Beyond the historical resonances, combs like this from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy also carry cultural narratives whose significance would be readily apparent to members of the community. The Haudenosaunee creation story tells of “Sky Woman” who is born after her mother straightens her father’s hair with a comb. The Sky Woman subsequently falls to Earth and gives birth to the human race.