Small maple hunting bow. A leather thong is tied to one end of the bow. It is loose at the other end, although, there is a knot that could slip over the bow. There are traces of green paint on the wood. Interior Salish: Nlaka’pamux: Spuzzum First Nation

« The stave of a toy bow was made with a crooked knife froma single piece of birchwood and lacks backing. Both the back and front are slightly convex and the sides are flat. Paired V-shaped notches at the sides are cut near the end of each horn for attachment of the bow string which is made of commercial two ply cord (fig. 31). Associated with this bow is a toy arrow, the shaft of which is circular in cross section and made of birchwood. The proximal end of the shaft is flattened on opposite sides and a notch is cut in the end at right angles to the flattened surfaces; there are no feathers. This type of arrow, which would have been used primarily for game birds such as ptarmigan and spruce grouse, had no attached point. The distal end of the shaft widens to form an enlarged striking surface (fig. 3m). In the past, the neighboring Mistassini Indians used the bow and arrow for hunting caribou as well as a variety of small game animals and birds (Rogers, 1967, p. 67). Small bows and arrows were used in a divination game for predicting the number of otters to be killed on a future hunt (Speck, 1930, pp. 429-430, fig. 109; 1935, p. 198). A label in Speck's handwriting attached to the bow indicates that it was collected at the Kiskisink settlement. » Vanstone, James W. "The Speck Collection of Montagnais Material Culture from the Lower St. Lawrence Drainage, Quebec." Fieldiana. Anthropology. New Series, No. 5 (October 29, 1982), p.7, fig 3I et m (p.31).

Bow. Back is straight, with gentle curving of each limb. Belly is painted orange, back is covered with striped green snakeskin, and tips are covered in leather. Where limbs start to curve, bow is wrapped with strands of glass beads in pink, blue, green and yellow. The grip is covered with hide and cotton. String is made of twisted sinew, attached to each end of the bow by a tied off loop.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

Museum Purchase: Indian Collection Subscription Fund, Rasmussen Collection of Northwest Coast Indian Art.

Museum Purchase: Indian Collection Subscription Fund, Rasmussen Collection of Northwest Coast Indian Art. Collected: Axel Rasmussen

Museum Purchase: Indian Collection Subscription Fund, Rasmussen Collection of Northwest Coast Indian Art. Collected: Axel Rasmussen