Fire Kit Item Number: A2.448 a-d from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Fire starter kit. Pieces a-c range from 7.6 to 12.7 cm in diameter. Two pieces (a-b) are iron pyrite, each in a caribou skin bag. Part c is a piece of copper. Part d is a skin bag of moss (for tinder).
Narrative
Pierce donated this collection to the UBC Geology Museum in 1932, from which it transferred to the newly-opened Museum of Anthropology in 1948. Michell Pierce put together this collection of examples of Copper Inuit clothing and implements, while working in the area for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Before going to the area, he interviewed Dean Brock and M.Y. Williams about the possibility of collecting for UBC while there. This was the second collection he assembled, as the first was lost when the ship carrying the materials was caught in the ice.
Item History
- Made in Bathurst Inlet, Nunavut, Canada
- Collected between 1920 and 1930
- Owned by Michell Pierce before 1932
- Received from Michell Pierce (Donor) during 1932
What
- Name
- Fire Kit
- Identification Number
- A2.448 a-d
- Type of Item
- fire kit
- Material
- iron pyrite mineral, moss, copper metal and caribou skin
- Manufacturing Technique
- sewn
Who
- Culture
- Inuit: Inuinnait
- Previous Owner
- Michell Pierce
- Received from
- Michell Pierce (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Bathurst Inlet, Nunavut, Canada
When
- Collection Date
- between 1920 and 1930
- Ownership Date
- before 1932
- Acquisition Date
- during 1932
Other
- Condition
- fair
- Accession Number
- 0212/0034 a-d