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Description

Blackish-brown horn spoon with pointed handle. Small circle with central dot incised on ladle portion of the spoon. [EC 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 13/3/2006]

Longer Description

Blackish-brown horn spoon with pointed handle. The spoon is made of a single piece of horn, likely mountain goat horn given its darker colour (but possibly mountain sheep or cow). The grain of the horn is visible, particularly on the bowl. The bowl of the spoon is smooth and curved. The reverse side of the bowl shows the edges to be slightly fluted. The front edge of the bowl and one side curve more severely upwards. Inside the bowl toward the handle is incised a small circle with central dot. This may have been made by a compass. At its widest, the bowl measures 64 mm. It narrows toward the handle. The handle is rounded, with a deep incision part way up on the front side and is bent slightly to one side. Where the bowl meets the handle, there is a ridge. The start of the handle measures 14 mm and narrows to 1 mm at its tip. [CAK 17/04/2009]

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 spoon was viewed alongside other horn and wood spoons on Wednesday Sept 9, 2009. Delegates identified the material as mountain goat horn. They noted that such spoons were used everyday and that the more ornate the spoon, the higher the rank of its user. This spoon, along with a number of other objects in the collection, is marked with a small circle with a dot in its centre. Delegates were interested in this recurring mark and wondered about its meaning. One suggestion was that it represented the sucker on an octopus tentacle, and further that the octopus was associated with shamans. Another suggestion was that it was a mark of the owner or the maker. [CAK 12/04/2010]

Primary Documentation

Accession book entry (for 1891.49.47 - .56): 'From Rev. Ch. Harrison, 80 Halton Rd, Canonbury Sq. N. Collection of Haida objects collected by him.... - [1 of] 10 horn spoons. £45. [Purchase price includes 1891.49.1-110]

Written on object - [in red ink:] HAIDA. C. HARRISON COLLN. PURCHASED 1891. [EC 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 13/3/2006]

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]