Bowl

Item number 1891.49.45 from the Pitt Rivers Museum.

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Description

Wooden food dish, in one piece, flat bottomed, the sides diverging upwards, the ends produced as flat wide flanges for lifting.

Longer Description

Wooden food dish, in one piece, flat bottomed, the sides diverging upwards, the ends produced as flat wide flanges for lifting, inside hollowed to a rectangular form, with raised edge running round it and over hanging lip.

Primary Documentation

Accession book entry (for 1891.49.45 and .46): From Rev. Ch. Harrison, 80 Halton Rd, Canonbury Sq. N. Collection of Haida objects collected by him.... - [1 of] 2 Wooden stone-boiling dishes. £45. [Purchase price includes 1891.49.1-110]
Additional accession book entry (LW): Decorated at ends.

?Accession book entry [Red numbers] - Containers other than pottery 104 A - L - (104 G 19) Food dish of wood, in one piece, flat bottomed, the sides diverging upwards, the ends produced as flat wide flanges for lifting, inside hollowed to a rectangular form, with raised edge running round it and over hanging lip. Haida, Queen Charlotte Islands. Obtd. by Rev. C. Harrison. Purchased from him 1891. March. v[ide]. Niblack.

Catalogue cards have: 'Wooden food dish carved in one piece with flat base, sides diverging upwards, ends produced as flat wide flanges for lifting. The inside is hollowed out to rectangular form, with a raised ridge running round it and an overhanging lip. Used for boiling roots, berries etc. with hot stones.' [JC 4 9 1996]

Written on object [in faded red ink] - WOODEN DISH [... the rest is illegible] [KJ 06/08/2009]

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 dish was viewed alongside other wood and horn dishes on Wednesday Sept 9, 2009. Delegates wondered if this was part of a set with 1891.49.46. Delegates thought there was something odd about the appearance of this dish. Kiwaahwah Jones thought it looked unfinished. Diane Brown observed that the carving does not follow the grain of the wood, which is unusual for Haida carving where normally 'everything flows'. Nika Collison thought the shape did not quite follow Haida rules and wondered if it was carved by a beginner. Gwaai Edenshaw also believed the dish was improperly carved. Natalie Fournier wondered if it was carved in a hurry, and Jaalen Edenshaw thought that the design looked rushed. Christian White thought it was a model: he noted that long dishes are models of larger bowls used for serving fish. Billy Yovanovich and Gwaai Edenshaw identified the material as alder. They noted in particular that when alder dries out it turns an orange-ish colour, and that alder was commonly used for food vessels as it does not taint the food. Gwaai wondered if it was used for cooking, and Nika Collison wondered if the beveled edge was an attempt to stop overflowing during cooking. Nika thought the shape of the dish was reminiscent of coppers. Lucille Bell thought that long rectangular dishes such as this one would be terrific for serving seaweed, berries, or dried fish, but not for serving oolachan grease. [CAK 12/04/2010]

This object was viewed and confirmed as Haida by tribal members Vincent Collison, Lucille Bell, and Kwiiawah Jones on 7 September 2007 in preparation for a planned Haida community visit to PRM in 2009 [L Peers, 24/01/2008]