Original cataloguing identifies as a killer whale form dish or bowl, but this has alternately been identified as a seal lion form dish or bowl.

FROM CARD: "TOTEMS." FROM 19TH OR EARLY 20TH CENTURY EXHIBIT LABEL WITH CARD: "MODEL OF TOTEM POST.--A SLATE COLUMN, ORNAMENTED WITH CARVED TOTEMIC DESIGNS. HEIGHT, 16 INCHES; DIAMETER, 2 3/4 INCHES. HAIDA INDIANS (SKITTAGETAN STOCK), PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND, ALASKA. 23,341. COLLECTED BY JAMES G. SWAN."

7-21-2005 Jay Stewart and Peter Macnair note about this panel pipe or ship pipe that "This is the most significant panel pipe of its type; there are about three dozen wooden panel pipes in public collections worldwide. This example shows gear relating to the rendering of whale oil, indicating that the Haida maker was aboard a whaling ship." Has original Peale # label.Provenience note, in 1841 Oregon Territory encompassed the land from Russian Alaska to Spanish California and from the Pacific to the Continental Divide. The U.S. Exploring Expedition did not go to Canada, but did reach Oregon Territory in 1841, and carried out a hydrographic survey of the Columbia River from its mouth to the Cascades, as well as doing some surveying inland.They had dealings with Hudson's Bay Company staff during that time, and it is probable that the HBC is the source of a number of the Northwest Coast artifacts collected by the expedition.Object on display in National Museum of Natural History exhibit "Objects of Wonder", 2018.

REPLACEMENT CARD: INFORMATION COPIED FROM LEDGER,AUGUST,1983. "MANUFACTURED BY ANTHRO LAB. L.P. EXPO. ST LOUIS 1904."

From card: "Carved of maple wood in high relief. Set with abalone and painted. Abalone set in resin. Rather good work." As of 2014, some of the abalone inlay is missing.See p. 48 in Wright, Robin K. "Two Haida Artists from Yani: Will John Gwaytihl and Simeon Stilthda Please Step Apart," American Indian Art Magazine 23(3), Summer 1998. Wright identifies this beaver motif frontlet as having characteristics of the style of Skidegate Haida artist Simeon Stilthda/Simeon sdiihldaa.

Written on artifact itself in old handwriting: "Scoop for bailing out canoe. Haida Indians. Queen Charlotte Id. J.G. Swan." Accession record also mentions 1 Haida bailing scoop as being part of this collection.