Wooden bowl carved in the form of a seal with haliotis shell inlaid in the eyes and shell or tooth decorations (mostly missing) around the rim. [CAK 17/08/2009]

Collection type: Object
Description: Wooden bowl carved in the form of a seal with haliotis shell inlaid in the eyes and shell or tooth decorations (mostly missing) around the rim. [CAK 17/08/2009]
Long description: Wooden bowl carved in the form of a seal with haliotis shell inlaid in the eyes and shell or tooth decorations (mostly missing) around the rim. The bowl is carved from a single piece of wood, probably alder. The base is round and flat. The sides of the bowl extend outward from the base, particularly to form the head and tail of the seal. The sides of the bowl are decorated with formline designs, including suggestions of flippers on the side and at the rear of the animal. There is also a face design incised under the chin of the seal. The face of the seal is carved with a mouth, nose and eyes that are inlaid with haliotis shell. The tail is carved between the rear flippers. The top rim of the bowl is flat and inlaid with ?operculum shell. The inside of the bowl is smoothly carved with a bevel part way down running from tail to head on either side of the bowl. The wood of the bowl is permeated with the grease it once contained. [CAK 17/08/2009]
Geographical reference: Canada
Northern America > North America > Canada; British Columbia Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) NW Coast
Cultural groups: Haida
Person: Field collector Unknown Collector; PRM source Irene Marguerite Beasley
Date / Period: Date made: Before 1954
Date collected: By 1954
Acquisition information: Donated: 1954
Materials and processes: Material Wood Plant, Material Haliotis Shell, Material Operculum Shell, Material Animal Ivory Tooth, Process Carved, Process Inlaid
Dimensions: Length 274 mm
Object numbers: Accession number: 1954.9.94
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 bowl was viewed alongside other wood and horn dishes on Wednesday Sept 9, 2009. No information about this particular dish was recorded from delegates. [CAK 28/05/2010]

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

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