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Description

Deerskin case [.1] with carved ivory toggle, containing set of wooden gambling stick [.2 - .59] decorated with red and black rings of various sizes. [CAK 27/05/2009]

Longer Description

Deerskin case [.1] with carved ivory toggle, containing set of wooden gambling stick [.2 - .59] decorated with red and black rings of various sizes. The case is sewn from two pieces of deerskin. One piece forms the front, bottom, back, sides and front flap of the square pouch. Stitching is visible on the exterior of the pouch down each side. The second piece is much thinner and is sewn to the front flap to provide a wrap or tie that can be wound around the pouch. At the end of this second piece is an ivory toggle carved with formline designs. The toggle is perforated and the deerskin passed through and knotted to keep the toggle in place. The sticks are each carved from a single piece of wood. They are rounded and smoothly carved. The grain of the wood is visible. The sticks are decorated with red and or black rings of various thicknesses and patterns. [CAK 07/07/2009]

Research Notes

Francis Fox Tuckett was the brother in law of Anna Tylor.

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 gambling set was viewed alongside other gambling sets on Monday Sept 14, 2009. Christian White thought the toggle on the case was a lucky charm. He reported making a set of 48 gambling sticks himself. Billy Yovanovich described how the game was played: Each player has their own set of sticks. The aim of the game is to find the blank stick, called a djil. To win, you need to gain 8 continuous points in a row. A point is won each time a player correctly guesses which of his opponent's hands holds the djil. Players (usually two) each have a team behind them who cheer them on and cause distraction to the opponents. The game involves the art of distraction, slight of hand and cheating. Some sticks would be marked with decorations or teeth marks so that the person holding them might be able to tell which stick they were holding without looking. Jaalen Edenshaw and Kristy Alsop played a few rounds using the set, and exchanging sterling coins. Three videos of the gambling match can be found on the Haida Project Digitial Archive. [CAK 13/05/2010]

Primary Documentation

Accession Book Entry - 'COLLECTION of the late Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, D.C.L., F.R.S. Presented by LADY TYLOR, 1917... Set of 58 gambling-sticks in deer-skin case, HAIDA, QUEEN CHARLOTTE ID. Collected by F. F. Tuckett. (r. Rep. U.S. Nat. Mus., 1896, p.907).

There is no further information on the catalogue card. [CW 8 6 98]

Written on object [.1] - Set of 58 gaming sticks. HAIDA, QUEEN CHARLOTTE Id, sent by F.F. Tuckett, E.B.T. coll. d.d. Lady Tylor, 1917 [L.Ph 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 2/2/2005]

Related Documents File - A copy of a letter dated Jun 21, 1885, from Tylor to F.F. Tuckett, discussing the rules of the game - the rules of a similar game were published in F. Poole's "Queen Charlotte Islands" London 1872 and Tylor is disagreeing with the interpretation of the rules in this publication. The original letter is in the Tylor MS Collections [L.Ph 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 3/2/2005]

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. Three videos of the gambling match can be found on the Haida Project Digitial Archive. [CAK 02/06/2010]

Item History

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