Figural Pendant (work of art)
Artwork Info
About
This pendant was worn as an emblem of prestige and power. It portrays a fully animal-form eagle, which spreads its wings and extends its talons in an attack pose. Note the double-headed serpent emerging from the eagle’s head. Images such as these are thought to depict various stages of the transformation of a shaman, a religious practitioner with magical powers.
tags: fashion, ritual, power, meaning, symbolism, function
Credit
Gift of Dr. Clifton F. Mountain and Mrs. Marilyn T. Mountain