Spindle Whorl

Item number 1-275 from the The Burke: University of Washington.

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Exhibit Label

Using a spindle fitted with a large, hardwood whorl, Salish women spun the wool of the mountain goat, as well as that of the dogs bred especially for their wolly undercoat. The whorl is a flat wooden disk, which acts as a flywheel to provide the rotational momentum to the rod or spindle necessary to twist the wool fibers into yarn. Here, two human figures crouch with their feet encompassing the spindle hole. They are depicted in considerable detail, with fingers and toes defined by incised lines. The figures themselves are not outlined, their limits merely suggested by the fins of the surrounding fish-like carvings. (Holm, Spirit and Ancestor, 1987)