Model Canoe Item Number: 3261/89 a-j from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Model canoe (part a) with four paddles (parts b-e) and five figures (parts f-j). The boat is long, narrowing toward the ends, widest at midpoint. The outer walls of the canoe have painted designs in red, black and green at both ends and on both sides; the central area is unpainted. Five benches span the width of the canoe’s interior. The paddler figures are painted red, with black hair; all five are painted with green mask-like faces, with black eyes and red lips. The four carved paddles are painted with black, red and green bands.
Narrative
The artist who carved this miniature of a great northern canoe may have been an expert maker of the monumental version. It features the distinctive style of projecting bow and high stern, and emulates the flared and tapered lines that would be achieved in a full-size canoe by steaming and spreading open the dugout log. Typical of canoe miniatures, however, it is made with shorter proportions and is carved, not steamed. The origins of this miniature are unknown. This example spent years hanging in a collector’s house in Nova Scotia before it once again entered the market and returned to the west coast. Whether the maker was Haida or Tlingit remains another unanswered question: the canoe itself is Haida in style, but could have been carved by a Tlingit artist, while the five passengers resemble others with Tlingit provenance. The painted imagery, moreover, has been “claimed” stylistically as both Haida and Tlingit by artists who have recently studied the canoe at MOA. Comparative research with other objects of similar age, imagery, and paints may help support a more definitive attribution in the future.
Item History
- Made in British Columbia, Canada during 1850
- Owned by Elspeth McConnell before April 12, 2018
- Received from Elspeth McConnell (Donor) on April 12, 2018
What
Who
- Culture
- Haida and Tlingit
- Previous Owner
- Elspeth McConnell
- Received from
- Elspeth McConnell (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- British Columbia, Canada
When
- Creation Date
- during 1850
- Ownership Date
- before April 12, 2018
- Acquisition Date
- on April 12, 2018
Other
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 3261/0089