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Apache Gahn Headdress |
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Reproduced Apache Gahn Headdress The Apache had two different spellings of this headdress; Gahn & Gaan. This headdress was referred to as the “Devil Dance” headdress by many of the dancers. These dancers are also referred to as Crown Dancers. The Gahn is a very spiritual headdress worn by the Apache devil dancers to ward off evil spirits in order to protect warriors and their tribe. Due to tribal reverence and sacred symbolism attached to the Gahn, most Apache Indians will not even touch this headdress. There are five Mountain Spirits. One dancer is known as “first man” as in “Adam”. The others are referred to as Rain, Lightning , Storm Clouds and Thunder. They all represent the blessings from rain. In the harsh southwest environment of the Apache, the rain was necessary for their survival. The root of the yucca or century plant was used as a food source; a savory treat when roasted. The Mescaleros Apache Tribe got its name from their dependence of this important desert plant. The tip of the thorn on the leaves was used as a needle and the spine fiber attached to the needle was used as an emergency needle and the thread for garments and even wound binding. Today, most Apache Indians do not know how to make or assemble a Gahn headdress in its traditional manner. Larry did a lot of research with the help of curators from the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona and Tucson Historical Museum. Through his extensive research, Larry reproduced two Gahn headdresses in traditional fashion. One is owned by Sid Billings (former owner of Grey Wolf Gallery in Old Town Scottsdale) . The other, by myself. I own the more ornate of the two. The hooded mask is made from dyed deerskin which has two holes for the eyes and one for the mouth. A thick piece of willow, one inch in circumference, is bent over the top of the head from ear to ear. A quarter inch notch is carved into the center top of the willow branch in order to apply the sotol stalk planks in an upright position. Afterwards, the deerskin hood is then sinew sewn to cover the interior willow branch and the base of the sotol stalk planks. Sotol stalk is found growing at the center of yucca and century cacti upwards to over 10 feet tall. Larry then cut and shaved the sotol stalk into flat planks in various sizes and shapes to form the final look. Three thin pieces of willow are applied for stability on both sides of the planks at the top, center and bottom of the sotol stalk planks which are sinew sewn through the planks. The entire area of the sotol stalk planks are covered with animal glue for added stability. The final phase of construction was adding paint also in traditional fashion by crushing various root, bark, berries and leaves in order to derive the many colors. Purification shapes and symbols were applied. White fluffs are added to the tip of most of the stalks. Finally, two groups of cut bamboo are added to the front panel in order to add a beautiful sound when bouncing against the sotol stalks during dance ceremonies. This truly is an awe inspiring example of a traditional Apache Gahn headdress. |
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Description: White Mountain Apache Gahn “Crown Dancer” Headdress |
