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This information was automatically generated from data provided by MOA: University of British Columbia. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

Description

Small painted wooden spoon. The handle is carved into the shape of a fish, with a brown painted fluke and a small dorsal fin. Painted-on designs are side fins, dorsal decorations of lines and dots, the jaw line and mouth. Large teeth have been carved and emphasized with red paint. Small round eyes have also been carved and painted dark brown. In its mouth the fish grasps the bowl of the spoon, which is carved of the same piece of wood. The bowl is thick in the centre and thin at the edges and is undecorated. This spoon is carved in a light hardwood.

Narrative

Originally collected by Reverend Smith Stanley Osterhout, a methodist minister who was sent to work in northern BC from 1893 to 1903. This spoon bears a strong resemblance to other utensils by the same hand in the MOA collection as well as MOV and RBCM. The simple painting with black pigment, stripes, dots, and use of red/burgundy in the mouth of the fish all conform to Elwitt’s style.

Item History

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