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Cultural Context

ceremonial; potlatches

History Of Use

Dish to be used at potlatches. Anthropologist Homer G. Barnett has written that among Coast Salish people, food dishes with animal representations were only known among the ʔay ʔaǰuθəm-speaking Homalco, Klahoose, Island Kómox, and Tla’amin. He noted that the dishes of the Comox and Homalco people were sometimes carved or incised to resemble human or animal heads, but said this was not frequent.

Description

Bear shaped feast dish, or bowl. Carved from a solid piece of wood; painted black on exterior, unpainted interior. The dish has an oval shaped concavity placed at the back of the bear. The five toes of each of the four feet are also unpainted. Inside of mouth is painted red and has been inset with yellowed seal teeth; ten maxillary and eleven mandiblary. A nail projects from top of right ear, where a previous repair was done. Copper-coloured metal bands have been nailed across the lower jaw, and along the rear of the bowl.

Narrative

This bear-shaped feast bowl was made and used by Frank George of Church House, a remote Coast Salish (Homalco) community located at the south entrance to Bute Inlet, B.C. It was used for Frank George’s granddaughter Marion Harry’s (qoq̓ʷɛssukʷt) first tooth ceremony (nonhəm) in 1937. Marion’s mother was Josephine Wilson (nee George); her father was Johnson Wilson, from Church House. Anthropologist Homer G. Barnett recorded that Frank George’s father was born at Toba Inlet (Klahoose) but moved to Bute Inlet because his mother had come from there. Frank’s own mother was a Tla’amin woman. It was sold sometime in the 1950s or early 1960s, the bowl was purchased by MOA in 1962 as part of a larger collection.