1884.68.59

Collection type

Object

Description

Oval wooden bowl with seal head and tail, carved with formline designs.

Long description

Oval wooden bowl with seal head and tail, carved with formline designs. The bowl is carved from a single piece of wood. The inside of the bowl is smoothly and plainly carved. The rim of the bowl is flat and bevelled. At one end of the bowl is carved the head of a seal. It's moth, nose and eyes are clearly visible. Extending along the bowl on either side of the head are fin(?) designs, followed by an ovoid design in the central portion of the bowl. Underneath these ovoids may be flipper designs. The sides of the bowl are incised with further formline designs. The opposite end of the bowl is carved with the tail and rear flippers of the seal. [CAK 15/03/2010]

Geographical reference

Canada

Northern America > North America > Canada

British Columbia Vancouver Island Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) NW Coast

Cultural groups

Haida

Nuu-chah-nulth

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, Process Carved, Process Incised

Dimensions

Height: max 70 mm, Length: max 200 mm, Width: max 100 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 1884.68.59 Other numbers: 430 PR Cat other PR nos: 2156

Research and responses

Previously entered as Nootka [AP Leverhulme project on founding collection 1995-1998].

The 'Nootka' attribution may be a result of the location of collection, rather than the place or culture of production. The Nuu-chah-nulth (formerly called 'Nootka') have their traditional territory on the west coast of Vancouver Island. At one time, Europeans also referred to a long length of the British Columbian coast as 'Nootka Sound' even though it extended far beyond Nootka territory. During the Haida research visit, there was no indication given that this bowl was not Haida, nor that it showed demonstrably Nuu-chah-nulth features. As Haida carvers were living and/or working on Vancouver Island in the 1800s, and as a number of stores traded and sold First Nations artefacts and art, it is possible that this item was acquired on Vancouver Island and made by a Haida carver. [CAK 15/03/2010]

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 bowl was viewed alongside other wood and horn dishes on Wednesday Sept 9, 2009. Few comments were provided about this bowl in particular. Delegates noted the lighter colour of the wood and the proposed that the bevelled edge of the ovoid could be a signature of the artist. [Cara Krmpotich note: Christian White pointed out similarities in the bevelled ovoids found on 1891.49.96 and 1884.68.60] Delegates gave no indication that this bowl was either not Haida, or that it was Nuu-chah-nulth. [CAK 15/03/2010]

Search terms: Figure, Vessel, Food and Drink, Status, Bowl, Animal Figure, Food Accessory, Status Object