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1891.49.94

Wooden bowl for grease with bulging ends and formline animal designs carved on the outside. [CAK 14/08/2009]

1891.49.94

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Collection type
Object
Description
Wooden bowl for grease with bulging ends and formline animal designs carved on the outside. [CAK 14/08/2009]
Long description
Wooden bowl for grease with bulging ends and formline animal designs carved on the outside. Carved from a single piece of alder wood the bowl is roughly square shaped. The rim is beveled with a convex curvature on the sides extending upward on the ends and forming a plateau. The ends of the bowl bulge outward and are carved with animal faces. On each end, a mouth is carved near the base of the bowl. Two large ovoid eyes are positioned above. There is a cross-hatched section between the eyes. Above the eyes are ears, and above the cross-hatching is a second face(?) with round eyes and ears. The animal designs wrap around onto the sides of the bowl. The central portion of each side is left plain. The inside of the bowl is smooth except for a ridge that runs approximately 20 mm below the rim. There is significant residue from the grease in the wood, particularly in the bottom of the bowl and on one end. [CAK 14/08/2009]
Geographical reference
Canada
Northern America > North America > Canada
British Columbia Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) NW Coast
Cultural groups
Haida
Person
Field collector Charles Harrison
PRM source Charles Harrison
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1882-1890
Date collected
Between 1882 and 1890 ?
Acquisition information
Purchased: 02/03/1891
Materials and processes
Material Wood Plant, Process Carved, Process Incised
Dimensions
Height: max 110 mm, Width: max 165 mm, Length: max 160 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1891.49.94
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. The material was identified as alder by delegates. Kwiaahwah Jones noted that the bowl is burnt on one side and wondered if that was a result of heating the bowl to warm the grease. [CAK 13/05/2010]

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

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