Spoon Item Number: 3051/23 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Horn spoon with carved designs on handle. Goat horn bowl with two rows of incised linear design on top. The bone handle has horn inlay elements and carved designs, including a pair of eyes on each of two sides (one of the inlays for the 'eyes' has fallen out), and circular and oval inlays on the front. The tip of the handle is carved of horn.
Narrative
This is one of 1928 spoons from this donation. The spoons had been stored for many decades in two trunks, along with 19 regalia items. The objects had been passed down to Barbara Robertson from her grandfather, who had run a trade store in Hazelton in the early 1900s. Presumably the spoons were traded at the store sometime in the early part of the 20th century by a local family. According to Norman Tait, some families used to own very large sets of spoons like this, that were named, and brought out for use at large feasts.
Item History
- Made in British Columbia, Canada between 1800 and 1890
- Owned by Barbara Robertson before December 22, 2010
- Owned by Alexander C. Robertson before February 19, 2014
- Received from Alexander C. Robertson (Donor) on February 19, 2014
What
- Name
- Spoon
- Identification Number
- 3051/23
- Type of Item
- spoon
- Material
- mountain goat horn and bone
- Overall
- height 6.0 cm, width 5.0 cm, depth 18.5 cm
Who
- Culture
- Gitxsan
- Previous Owner
- Barbara Robertson and Alexander C. Robertson
- Received from
- Alexander C. Robertson (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- British Columbia, Canada
When
- Creation Date
- between 1800 and 1890
- Ownership Date
- before December 22, 2010 and before February 19, 2014
- Acquisition Date
- on February 19, 2014
Other
- Condition
- fair
- Accession Number
- 3051/0023