1884.65.12

Collection type

Object

Description

Wooden figure of a female seated with child in arms.

Long description

Wooden figure of a female seated with child in arms. There is also a figure on her back with face peering behind her right shoulder. The female figure has a large face and a conical hat. The figure is sitting on her bottom with legs folded up in front. The female figure has a piece of red textile and dark blue string in her right ear. [MJD 18/07/2013]

Geographical reference

Canada

Northern America > North America > Canada

British Columbia NW Coast Vancouver Island

Cultural groups

G̱usgimukw

Person

Maker Unknown Maker

Field collector Unknown Collector

PRM source Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers founding collection

Date / Period

Date made: Before 1874

Date collected

By 1874

Acquisition information

Donated: 1884

Materials and processes

Material Wood Plant, Material Pigment, Material Textile, Material Cotton Seed Fibre Yarn Plant, Process Carved, Process Painted, Process Perforated, Process Twisted

Dimensions

Height: max 394 mm, Width: max 113 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 1884.65.12 Other numbers: 606 PR Cat other PR nos: 2647 PR no.: ?/ 913

Research and responses

Note that the last part of the blue entry means 'R[eturned to PR] on 22.1.84' based on previous experience. However the object is in our collections and the green book entries suggest that the object was returned to South Kensington Museum in July 1884. This object might be described in the following article: Nature 22 23.9.1880 p512 'It is remarkable how extremely well some savages copy European carvings when once they get the chance of a little teaching. As an example of this sort of work General Pitt Rivers displays a carving of the Virgin and Child executed by the Qua Qua Indians of the North-west American coast. The piece might pass muster as an example of modern Swiss work. Besides this specimen are three sitting figures in the old unassisted native style, carved by the Vancouver Islanders. They are very different indeed in executionand rude but they still show a certain amount of artistic feeling.' It may be that this object should also be matched to the green book entry given above is not the correct match then this entry matches an unmatched entry from the green book 194.6693 - 6694 and 6695 '2 wooden statuettes' and '1 carving of ditto under European guidance'. The fraction number 913 has been suggested for this object on the grounds that if the above green book entry is correct [207.6876] then all other entries associated with this page of the green book have had this fraction number [AP Leverhulme project on founding collection 1995-1998]

This object was studied by Jennifer Kramer, UBC Museum of Anthropology, on 22 July 2013. She stated the figure on the back of the adult is a second child. Jennifer Kramer wondered if the figure had a woven hat over the plain wooden cone shaped head, and whether it might also have been clothed, or at least had a cape: that would explain the plainness of the carved child on the back, who would then be peeking out from under the mother’s cape. Kramer noted that ‘Koskimo’ is a Kwakwakwkw subgroup, word is derived from more usual ‘Quatsino’. She confirms Koskimo (now written as Gusgimukw) are the people from Quatsino in NW Vancouver Island. See Kwakwaka'wakw map that UBC Museum of Anthropology use in the Multiversity Galleries in RDF. [MJD 24/07/2013]

Search terms: Figure, Children and Childcare