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Description

Carved horn ladle repaired with piece of iron on the spoon. [ZM 14/11/2005]

Longer Description

Carved horn ladle repaired with piece of iron on the spoon. The ladle is made from a single piece of horn. The bowl is long and deep. It is smoothly moulded and carved. The inside lip of the bowl is bevelled. On one side, there is a small iron repair on the bevelled rim. The bowl of the ladle is darker in colour than the handle, probably owing to use (i.e. absorbing oolachan grease or soups into the horn). The handle tapers as it extends upwards. There is a slight convex curve to the handle. The top of the handle is bent at an angle, extending out over the bowl. The tip represents a canoe design. The grain of the horn is visible throughout the spoon and the horn is a brown colour. [CAK 18/03/2010]

Primary Documentation

Accession book entry (for 1891.49.57 - .61): 'From Rev. Ch. Harrison, 80 Halton Rd, Canonbury Sq. N. Collection of Haida objects collected by him.... - [1 of] 5 horn ladles. £45. [Purchase price includes 1891.49.1-110]

No additional information on catalogue cards. [JC 4 9 1996]

Written on object - HAIDA purch. 1891 [CAK 05/05/2009]

Related Documents File - The Haida Project Related Documents File contains video of research sessions and interviews with Haida delegates from September 2009 as part of the project ‘Haida Material Culture in British Museums: Generating New Forms of Knowledge'. It also includes post-visit communications that discuss object provenance. For extensive photographic, video, and textual records documenting the Haida research visit as a whole, including but not limited to preparations of objects for handling, travel logistics, British Museum participation, transcribed notes from research sessions and associated public events held at PRM, see the Haida Project Digital Archive, stored with the Accessions Registers. Original hand-written notes taken during research sessions have been accessioned into the Manuscripts collection, in addition to select other materials. [CAK 02/06/2010]

Research Notes

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 ladle was viewed alongside other horn and wood spoons on Wednesday Sept 9, 2009. Kwiaahwah Jones identified the material as mountain sheep horn. She thought the spoon was unfinished, particularly at the head (or top of the handle). The top of the handle was identified as a canoe design. Another spoon of similar shape [1891.49.59] was said to be a ladle used by a chief for serving food. Delegates thought this ladle could be used for seal soup, sea lion soup, or oolachan grease. The slightly angled or bevelled inner lip of the bowl was reported to help the bowl retain its shape. Delegates wondered if the spoon had been found abandoned because the porous and worn texture on the underside of the bowl and at the top of the handle is similar to the damage found on horn objects discovered in caves on Haida Gwaii.
In response to horn spoons more generally, delegates made a number of comments on their construction, use and related information. It was noted that when the bowl of the spoon and handle sections are joined, each part is often made from different types of horn. The bowl of the spoon tends to be made from mountain sheep horn and the handle from mountain goat horn. The greenish hue on some of the horn spoons received interest. It was proposed that the discolouration of the darker mountain goat horn to a green hue could be the result of UV damage. The copper used to repair or join parts of spoons also received a lot of interest. Haidas noted that copper is a sign of wealth and thus would be used on spoons of wealth. Replacement rivets were identified as being made of a copper alloy such as brass, and signs of copper corrosion were identified. The irregular shape of a number of the bowls of spoons was likely a factor of being placed in too hot of a soup. The scoop can lose its shape if overheated. At the same time, the scoop can be re-formed using the same techniques as when it was first made. Goat horn spoons were traded between nations in the Pacific Northwest. And European traders first arriving in the region observed blankets woven from mountain goat fur. A recurring mark on a number of spoons and bowls – an incised circle with a central dot – could possibly represent an octopus emblem (especially if found on shamanic items) or could be a maker's mark. [CAK 18/03/2010]