Grave Figure

Item number A408 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

Item Records

This page shows all the information we have about this item. Both the institution that physically holds this item, and RRN members have contributed the knowledge on this page. You’re looking at the item record provided by the holding institution. If you scroll further down the page, you’ll see the information from RRN members, and can share your own knowledge too.

The RRN processes the information it receives from each institution to make it more readable and easier to search. If you’re doing in-depth research on this item, be sure to take a look at the Data Source tab to see the information exactly as it was provided by the institution.

These records are easy to share because each has a unique web address. You can copy and paste the location from your browser’s address bar into an email, word document, or chat message to share this item with others.

Data
Data Source

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

Carved wooden wolf head with protruding snout and drawn-back ears. At the end of the snout are two nostrils. The mouth is open with a tongue carved on the lower portion. The nostrils, eyes, inside the ear and mouth are painted red. The rest of the head is black. The neck of the figure ends in a flat, unpainted surface. Pencil inscription on back.

Cultural Context

burial; guardian spirit complex

Iconographic Meaning

The wolf as a guardian spirit is associated with hunting. It is also featured in a transformation story from New Westminster.

Narrative

The Burnett catalogue describes this as a "Carved figure from Indian grave - wolf head". On the base, in pencil, is written "Souvenir of walk to Coquitlam".