Gift of Adelaide Goan

Gift of Dr. John H. Finney

THE ESKIMO OF BAFFIN LAND AND HUDSON BAY, FROM NOTES COLLECTED BY CAPTAIN GEORGE COMER, CAPTAIN JAMES S. MUTCH, AND REV. E.J. PECK. BOAS, FRANZ BULLETIN, 15, 1901

Tin roof cross with various figures adorning it. At the bottom of the front of the cross there is a blue flower with petals that are bent upwards. The flower has white dots in its centre. Emerging from the back of this flower are a spear and a rounded object on the end of a pole. The rounded object on the end of a pole is on the left side of the object; it is a different shade of blue than the rest of the object. An angel in profile holds onto this pole. The angel is primarily white with a red eye and sash. The spear emerges from the right side of the flower. It is green. There is a blue fish attached to the pole of the spear. The fish has a red eye and a band of red dots around it. In the centre of this configuration of poles and figures, there is a skull. The skull is white with red eyes, nostrils and mouth. Further up the pole, there is a blue cup formed by three rounded shapes. At the top of the cup, there is a rectangular piece of tin with equidistant circles cut into it mounted horizontally across the vertical axis of the cross. Above this piece, there is a red pot. A flower or sun shape with five rays emerges from the top of the pot. The centre ray is white while the two on either side are red. The bottom rays rest on the horizontal axis of the cross. Also resting on this axis are a moon, rooster and flower. The moon is a crescent shape with a large nose and a red eye. It is painted white. To the right of the red pot, the rooster sits on the horizontal axis. The rooster is primarily white and it has red detailing around its wing, a red eye, red ear and red wattle. The flower is also on the right side of the axis; it is pink with white dots in its centre. At the very top of the cross, there is a duck in a sitting position. It is primarily white with a red eye. The duck’s body faces right but its head is turned leftward. Behind the red pot, there is a brown piece of string tied to the vertical support of the cross.

Iron roof cross. Traditionally, roof crosses are put on top of newly constructed houses for protection. The bottom of the cross is plain and has a pointed end. Above this section, there is a curved banner with the year stencilled through the metal. This banner is suspended between two angels in profile. The angels have black hair and shoes. Their wings and torso are painted pink and their skirts are red. They have their arms bent at the elbow, as if in prayer. Further up the cross, there is a gold, multi-tiered chalice. This chalice seems to have the sun emerging out of its top. At the intersection of the horizontal and vertical portions of the cross, there is a large red heart. This heart has a small, white cross emerging from the top of it. There are also yellow rays of sun extending outwards from behind the heart. On either end of the horizontal portion of the cross, there are grey shapes with hollow centres that resemble three leaf clovers. At the top of the cross there is a grey fleur de lis. There is a piece of tape on the back of the image with a number written on it.

Dark brown cross with carved wooden angel attached. The horizontal branches of the cross meet the vertical beam at an acute angle as opposed to the more often seen perpendicular angle. There is a polygonal shape carved into the top end of each branch of the cross. They are painted a faint red. At the intersection of the branches, there is a carved wooden angel. The angel does not have a body, only a child-like face and green pink and silver wings. The angel’s face is painted light brown with pink cheeks and lips. Below the angel, there is a round mirror inset into the cross. It is surrounded by a thin metal frame. There are silver and gold accents in various places on the surface of the cross. Some of the accents are painted and some are small pieces of paper appliqued to the surface. There is a metal eye hook attached to the back of the cross. There is also a piece of tape with a number written on it.

Gift of Thomas Watters, Jr.