FROM CARD: "APRIL 20, 1901 - ONE SPECIMEN SENT LT. G. EMMONS, PRINCETON, N.J., AS EXCHANGE. ILLUS. IN USNM REPT, 1902; PL. 37; P. 548."

FROM CARD: "WHALE RIB. LENT TO MUSEO NACIONAL DE ANTROPOLOGIA, MAY 18, 1964." Loan returned 2012. Identified as Marine Mammal/Walrus bone, rather than whale, during preparation of affidavits on organic materials for Mexico loan return, 2011.

Provenance of this figure is uncertain. From the repatriation case report ("Assessment Of Unassociated Funerary Objects from the Memaloose Islands, Washington and Oregon..."): "This carving is made from a single piece of wood and represents a standing male figure. Behind the figure is a flat rectangular base or plinth and the figure is standing on a box-shaped section. This object was cataloged originally with "Africa"as the provenience (Figure 2), but at some time in the past the catalog card was amended to read "Oregon (or Columbia R. Valley)." "Oregon" is also written on the object next to the catalog number. This is one of two carved wooden figures listed below the other "Mameluke" Island objects in the original accession list. [The other is E316424.] They are both listed with Africa as the provenience... [but] these objects are very different from one another in style and shape. E316425 [this one] looks similar to other carved images from the Lower Columbia River, which may have led to the change in identification on the catalog card. Boyd (1996:122-126) discusses a category of objects called pat-ash made by peoples of the Columbia River area, which included carved wooden images. Boyd (1996:122) interprets pat-ash figures as guardian spirits and notes that they were found in three contexts: near a chief's bed, in winter ceremonies, or at grave sites. Images of some of pat-ash figures from Grave Island and Upper Memaloose Island are included in Boyd (1996: Plate 14). Robin Wright, Curator of Native American Art at the Burke Museum in Washington, suggested that this carving is similar to others from the southern Northwest Coast and pointed out that the skeletal structure showing the ribs and the negative triangles carved on the base are particular features similar to other Columbia River sculptures (Robin Wright, personal communication 2001). Mary Jo Arnoldi, Curator of African Ethnology at the NMNH, believes that some features of this sculpture are very similar to Nubian African sculptures, including the ribs and the negative triangles on the base (Mary Jo Arnoldi, personal communication 2006). Joseph Simms did collect some other material from Nubia. It is difficult to tell whether this carved figure is from Africa or Oregon since the stylistic elements from both sculptural traditions are present on this object. Even if it could be determined to be from Oregon, we would be unable to determine if Simms collected it from one of the Memaloose islands or elsewhere in the Columbia River region."

As of 05/2010, figurehead originally on prow could not be found. This object is on loan to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, from 2010 through 2027. Canoe includes 4 paddles on loan.Note that canoe 21594 is mentioned as being used in an exhibit in Berlin in 1880 on p. 104 of USNM Bulletin No. 18. It is described there as a wooden canoe model from Alaska of the type used by the Indians of northwest coast in the whaling and sea fisheries.Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on this artifact http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=533 , retrieved 12-30-2011: Canoe model Clan leaders took pride in their large red cedar canoes, which lined the beaches at the old coastal villages, each drawn up in front of the clan house to which it belonged. The boats were kept covered with wet cloths to prevent the wood from splitting. Crews of men paddled them at sea or raised sails when the wind was favorable, traveling long distances for trade, warfare, or ceremonies. Owners painted their canoes with clan crests and gave them names.

From card: "For clams."