Bentwood Bowl

Item number 3260/38 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Square, kerfed, steamed bentwood bowl: hardwood sides, red-cedar base, sinew stitching. Rim inset with operculum shells, originally four to each side (one missing). Outer surface carved with animal imagery.

History Of Use

This small dish held oolichan oil or grease and is now saturated with food oils. It is defined as a food bowl or dish because of its use and its undulating rim.

Iconographic Meaning

Carved imagery holds elements of animal representations but not the whole: several sets of eyes, ears, and mouths with teeth; some components right-side up, others seemingly upside down. Imagery could have been meant to be ambiguous for its intended holder or meant to display the owner’s crest. The bowl and the supernatural/animal being are one, speaking metaphorically of the connections between family, history, and the creatures of the land. Also represents the power and artistry of feast vessels.