**First Time At Auction**

Native American, Northwestern United States, Alaska, Inuit, ca. 18th to 19th century CE. This is a fine stone labret, pecked and polished from a black stone with an elongated and slightly curved profile. The labret has a thick cylindrical body, surmounted with a slightly flared face. The wearer would insert the plug into their lip as a facial accessory and the flared end held the labret in place. Wearing a labret could indicate rank and tribal affiliation as well as simply be a personal adornment. Piercing below the lower lip happened in childhood, and then the piercing was stretched periodically to fit larger labrets. The use of labrets was discouraged by Christian missionaries and the piercings largely fell out of practice by the early 1900s. Size: 1.65" L x 0.65" W (4.2 cm x 1.7 cm)

Provenance: private Littleton, Colorado, USA collection, purchased from Gladys' Gifts, Barrow, Alaska, USA in 1961

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#165879

Surface pitting and abrasions. Chip to tip of curved face, otherwise intact and very good.