Paddle Item Number: Nb3.1484 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Carved paddle, painted green, red and black on both sides. Ovoid eye, feathers, head of an eagle, ovoid body and smaller ovoid with feather shapes painted on paddle.

History Of Use

Heiltsuk canoe paddles like this one were probably made to be sold to non-Aboriginal collectors. Such works represent one of the last forms of painted art created by artists trained in the late 19th century. Producing souvenirs became a way for painters to continue their traditions during a time of great cultural change.

Narrative

Attributed to Daniel Houstie, a Heiltsuk artist whose replicas of traditional objects were among the items collected by missionary R.W. Large for the Ontario Provincial Museum between 1898 and 1901.