ground serpentine chisel, green-brown

Museum Expedition 1905, Museum Collection Fund

Museum Expedition 1905, Museum Collection Fund

The object is a burden basket. The rim at the top is decorated with a basketry cord attached to the main basket at intervals of approximately 2 1/2 inches, creating a scalloped edge. The design is made by the imbrication techinque. Below the scalloped edge is a row of wolves with their tails up, (a characteristic marker of identity) circling the rim counterclockwise. There is a wave pattern throughout created by imbrication. There are four colors on the basket. The body of the basket is a natural warm brown color. The imbrication areas are natural light straw, natural? red, and dyed? dark brown. The basket is in good and stable condition. On the interior, there are some detached basketry fibers.

Carved spindle whorl. CONDITION: One edge is damaged and missing.

Small model of a totem pole. Carver unknown at this time. Possibly part of an exchange with the Field Museum of Chicago.

Carved wood spindle whorl.

Such simple mauls are a very ancient artifact type on the Northwest Coast, and this one could be prehistoric. Though quite elegant they are perfectly carved to fit comfortably in the hand for heavy pounding.

This blanket design is red, white and blue checks. The yarn is commercial sheep wool. On July 12, 1911 Newcombe purchased a blanket for twelve dollars from the wife of old Chief Billy Sepass of Skowkale. Its description -red,white and blue checks - matches this example. It was stored for many years in the Museum's Navajo blanket collection and was unlabeled. Culin states that the blanket from Necombe was made from goat hair, commonly used along with the hair of a specially bred white dog and sheeps wool. However this one is commercial sheep's wool.

The object is a spindle whorl carved on one side with a salmon or whale design motif. The object is in good and stable condition with traces of black pigment in the detailed areas of the carving.