1884.68.54

Collection type

Object

Description

Flat argillite panel pipe with open-work carving in formline design.

Long description

Flat argillite panel pipe with open-work carving in formline design. The carvings are identical on either side of the pipe and depict a complex scene of different creatures of various sizes. One end of the pipe is slightly taller than the other side. Working from the taller end to the shorter end the figures appear to include: a bird with a long curved beak. The beak forms the terminus of the tall end with the beak and head facing upwards. The bird's body runs horizontally along the base of the pipe, discernible by the long wing. There are also paws in this area that seem to be connected to the next figure (see below). In the bird's beak are the feet and buttocks of a humanoid figure, who is resting along the bird's wing and facing upwards. There are also the hind legs in the bird's beak belonging to a frog. The frog's front feet are grasping the protruding tongue of the humanoid below it. The tongue is shared by the humanoid and a shark above him. The body is smoothly carved (i.e. no formline decoration), it has fin shapes found behind the humanoid's head, a dorsal fin shape on its back and half a fluked-tail near the base of the pipe. The fluked tail is inside the mouth of a figure running along the base of the pipe, with its forearms and paws coming up from under the first bird's wings and grasping on to the fins of the shark. The snout of this figure abuts the dorsal fin of the shark. Above the dorsal fin at the top of the pipe is a small birds head with a slightly open beak and forearms that grasp the ears of the next figure over: a bear, sitting upright and running almost the entire height of the pipe. It's rear paws can be seen in the ears of figure with the shark tail in its mouth. The 'pipe bowl' (not functional) is carved in the top of the bear. The mouth of the bear is also slightly open and contains the tail of a long fish that runs along the top of the pipe. This fish has a long ridge or dorsal fin that extends almost the entire length of the creature, although there are also two very long decorated fins that angle slightly downward and meet the paws of the bear. Under this fish creature is a human figure, reclining on his back, facing upwards. His/her legs are bent and his/her arms reach up and grasp the decorated fins. There is a section of argillite running between the human's chin and the fish that appears to be for structural support. The human is wearing a hat with four rings on it. Under the human's back is a large bird's wing. Under the wing on the very bottom of the pipe are tail feathers. The head of this bird has a large straight beak that runs vertically. The beak suggests the bird is a raven. The beak is slightly open and holds a figure with wings and a very-hooked beak (possibly a hawk or thunderbird). This bird's wings reach out towards the fish, and the chins of both creatures meet. Along the top of the large raven beak is a human figure, whose back arches along the beak and whose head tilts backwards at the very top of the pipe. The human's tongue is protruding and joins up with the tongue of another figure - possibly a bear with a wing that curves down toward the base of the pipe. Sitting back-to-back with the ?bear is a thin bear figure whose rear legs can be seen bent as if kneeling at the base of the pipe, and whose front legs sit atop of a large wing. The tongue of this thin figure protrudes and connects with a tongue from the final figure. This final figure is incomplete: the bottom half of a beak remains and joins with the large wing. However the top half of the beak and the remainder of the bird's head appear to have come off at some point. As there is a hole carved into the short (and irregular, broken) edge of this pipe near the base, it seems likely that the mouthpiece of the pipe would have been on this shorter end. [CAK 24/04/2009]

Geographical reference

Canada

Northern America > North America > Canada

British Columbia Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) NW Coast

Cultural groups

Haida

Person

Maker Unknown Maker

Field collector Unknown Collector

PRM source Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers founding collection

Date / Period

Date made: 1830-1860

Date collected

By 1874

Acquisition information

Donated: 1884

Materials and processes

Material Argillite Stone, Process Carved

Dimensions

Length 425 mm, Width 90 mm, Diameter 13 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 1884.68.54 PR Cat other PR nos: ? 2177

Research and responses

The following information comes from Haida delegates who worked with the museum’s collection in September 2009 as part of the project “Haida Material Culture in British Museums: Generating New Forms of Knowledge”:

This pipe was viewed alongside other argillite carvings on Tuesday Sept 15, 2009. There was a lot of discussion both about the figures on this pipe, as well as the artist and the carving choices made. There was consensus that among the figures on the pipe are a bear, raven, eagles and frog, but there were also some figures that people were less certain about. There is a fish figure that one delegate thought might be a sculpin, another delegate thought it could be a whale, while other delegates thought it was a cod and more particularly a cod in mid-transformation. If a cod, it has a long dorsal fin at the topside of the carving near the centre. Pectoral fins are also present. Delegates noted how the the body of this fish figure was unfinished, and also that the position of the dorsal fin was unconventional. Jaalen Edenshaw thought this figure was not necessarily a fish at all, but that it could be a dragonfly.

At one end of the pipe is a bird figure with hooked beak. One delegate suggested it could be a thunderbird or hawk but that the beak was not distinctive enough to say which one with certainty.

There is a bear toward the narrower end of the pipe that may have wings.

The figure with the dorsal fin, tail, open mouth and undecorated body was identified as a great white shark.

Nika Collison noted that the carved cut all of the shapes, but did not finish designing the various elements. She also commented on how the narrower end was broken but filed down. The pipe's design was deemed complex, however, the fact that it remained unfinished led delegates to question whether the carver became dissatisfied or bored with the piece and did not complete it, if breakage occurred while parts were being carved and the solution was to make a figure as though it was transforming, or if the carver was unable to realise his original concept.

Delegates believed that this pipe was never used as a pipe.

Christian White explained that once the pipes were carved, artists would drill down and along so that it could be smoked. He went on to describe instances when he had been doing this to one of his own pipes and the brittleness of the argillite caused it to shatter during drilling.

A group discussion about argillite raised the following points. Argillite is only carved on Haida Gwaii. It is a natural resource of the islands, is very brittle and difficult to carve. Black is the most common variety, but rarer red and brown varieties also exist. It requires a skillful hand to carve it successfully. In addition to early trading, argillite served an important purpose during difficult years in Haida communities. Even when not skillfully executed, argillite allowed carvers to record stories and oral histories, like previous generations did in wood before them; they were able to preserve a significant amount of information that might otherwise have been lost. Argillite also provided a medium for Haidas to be satirical about the Europeans they were encountering. [CAK 15/03/2010]

Originally entered as Vancouver Island, but probably Queen Charlotte Island. [LM] It was common for Haida carvers to work and sell their creations in Victoria, Vancouver Island. [CAK 24/04/2009]

This object was viewed and confirmed as Haida by tribal members Vincent Collison, Lucille Bell, and Kwiiawah Jones on 7 September 2007 in preparation for a planned Haida community visit to PRM in 2009 [L Peers, 21/01/2008]

The end figure on the shorter side is incomplete: only the wing and bottom half of the beak of this bird figure remain. [CAK 24/04/2009]

Search terms: Figure, Trade, Pipe, Tobacco Accessory, Animal Figure