THE KWAKIUTL OF VANCOUVER ISLAND. BOAS, FRANZ MEMOIRS, 8, 1909

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

Burden basket. Rectangular with three separated rows of animal designs covering all four sides. The figures are reddish-brown bark, with a lighter (yellowish) grass as background. The upper outside edge is reinforced with a rectangular loop of thick metal (telegraph) wire, held on with hide and fibre loops. The inside base is reinforced with a rectangular loop of root, bent at three corners.

Woven belt with bone attachments. Wide belt is made in a tight basket weave from thin strips of light and dark brown leather. Buckle is made of two pieces of bone, smoothly carved into rectangles, with a prong nailed to one that fits into a tube joint in the other. Several figures are etched into the bone, including a hunter and a woman in lightweight clothing, and tools such as an oil lamp, ulu, and chopper, among others. Back of belt has similar pieces attached, with images including a walrus and person paddling a boat. Two small undecorated buttons and a long undecorated loop are also attached to the back. Many of the images are accompanied by small Inuktitut syllabics.

Two model harpoons, lashed together in a cross-shape with a leather thong. Each has a wood handle, squared and thick at top, narrowing toward bottom where the larger one is capped by a small rounded piece of antler. The tops of each hold a pointed rod of tusk attached to the handle by strips of leather that pierce the wood and antler, and are tied off along the shaft. The thongs attaching the harpoons hold small projectile points, one of metal set in antler, the other with both point and body carved of antler.

Ceremonial war club. Club stick (part a) is long and relatively straight, covered in brown canvas and red felt. Ends are wrapped with narrow strips of fur. Top has an open loop created out of fur. Along the length of the stick are three tassels of horse hair, and several areas of blue glass beading, with the occasional inclusion of some brass beads. Part b is a round, hide wrapped stone. One half of the hide covering is painted dark blue. A braided thong of leather is sewn to the seams of the hide, and attaches two large cream and brown feathers and smaller red feathers with pink beading at the quills, and black glass beads around the thong, to the stone.