Figure Item Number: 3100/24 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Soapstone carving of a bird caught in a trap beside its nest. The small bird is carved from dark grey soapstone. It is hunched over two oblong eggs sitting in a hollow in the stone. Around the bird's neck is a thin brown string tied to one of three stakes to either side. The base of the object has yellow paper adhered to it, with the artist name written in ink, an inventory number, and a stamp that says "Eskimo Craft Camsell Hospital Edmonton".

Narrative

The number on the base "T-194" was a tracking number assigned to crafts at the hospital. It was entered into the carving instructor's ledger as "goose? in snare" on March 7, 1956. (See "From the Sanatorium to the Museum and Beyond", Sara Komarnisky, pg 352.)

Cultural Context

Made by Tegiapak while he was a patient at the Charles Camsell Hospital in Edmonton. In 1946, The Charles Camsell tuberculosis hospital opened in Edmonton, run by the Department of Indian and Eskimo Affairs. Between 1945 and 1967, the hospital operated an occupational therapy program for aboriginal patients. In 1990, the hospital donated a collection of over 400 arts and craft items made by patients in the program to the Royal Alberta Museum.

Item History

What

Name
Figure
Identification Number
3100/24
Type of Item
figure
Material
soapstone stone, wood, fibre and adhesive
Overall
height 4.0 cm, width 5.5 cm, depth 7.0 cm

Who

Culture
Inuit
Creator
James Tegiapak (Maker)
Previous Owner
Hilary Stewart
Received from
Hilary Stewart (Donor)

Where

Holding Institution
MOA: University of British Columbia
Made in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

When

Creation Date
during 1955
Ownership Date
before March 17, 2015
Acquisition Date
on March 17, 2015

Other

Item Classes
carvings & sculpture
Condition
good
Accession Number
3100/0024