S'abadeb-Seattle Art Museum Artfully shaped by steaming and carving, this diminutive bowl bears a sticky film of fish or sea mammal oil in the bottom. Tasty oils were used to flavor dried fish and other foods. Small dishes with flaring sides, high ends, and substantial rims were a common type: one variation was an elongated oval shape that is shallow in profile. This dish was a gift to the Burke Museum from the Washington World's Fair Commission after the fair ended in Chicago in 1893.

Elegant carved dishes and delicate spoons like these were used on a daily basis. Their dark and greasy surface reveals their use for serving fish and sea mammal oils, which enhanced the flavor of dried fish and berries.

Elegant carved dishes and delicate spoons like these were used on a daily basis. Their dark and greasy surface reveals their use for serving fish and sea mammal oils, which enhanced the flavor of dried fish and berries.