PRIMITIVE ART. BOAS, FRANZ, 1951, Publisher: CAPITAL PUBLISHING COMPANY THE DECORATIVE ART OF THE INDIANS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC COAST. BOAS, FRANZ BULLETIN, 9, 1897

The object,known as a "copper," was cut into the shape of a shield from a flat sheet of copper alloy and hammered out to produce the animal face on the upper section and the ridge on the lower section. The upper section of this copper contains either the head of a bear or a beaver and has exposed metal as well as black and white painted areas. The delineation of the animal head on the upper area was achieved by scratching through painted and exposed metal areas. The lower section of the copper has two black painted panels with a vertical ridge. On the back of the object, there is some corrosion that is stable. The object is in good condition with minor surface scratches overall. Coppers were used as status symbols and were important economical commodities for their owners. The owner could break off part of one during a potlatch ceremony to demonstrate his or her largesse although this one shows no signs of having been used this way.

Museum Expedition 1905, Museum Collection Fund

Flask for gunpowder made from a seal's bladder. Plug or bung missing. [MdeA 20/11/2008]

Wooden transformation mask in the form of a raven with beak that opens to expose a female face inside with a crooked nose and labret. [CAK 24/08/2009]

Horn ladle with local repair made from copper alloy on the spoon. There is a small perforation in the handle [ZM 14/11/2005]

Spoon with riveted handle of mountain goat horn, carved with animal and human figures. [CAK 16/06/2009]

A small fabric doll with porcelain head, arms and legs, wearing a stiff gold top and wide flat skirt decorated with a string of beads.

Corpus Christi headdress consisting of a grass string bound wood frame over which is stretched a screen made of canvas sacking and a sheet of gold foil. Sewn onto the foil are several shells, strands of beads (glass, plastic and possibly gemstone), earrings, pins, bone hair clips, metal tokens, and coins. A large shell is attached at the top of the headdress.

Framed, large scale, ancestor portrait painted on paper. Depicted is a male in an imperial-style blue robe and jeweled blue hat, with an ornately embroidered rank badge hanging from his neck, seated in a large tiger skin covered chair or throne. The red mosaic floor has a floral patterning in shades of white, green, yellow and pink with a border motif in black. A wide band of brown paper frames the painting and the actual reddish wood frame with fibreboard backing has two ornate metal hangers at top.