« The consulting of oracles so as to determine where and when to hunt and to know the future with reference to the weather, illness, and personal matters was extremely important to the Lake St. John Montagnais. It is a subject that has been discussed in considerable detail by Speck (1935, pp. 138-147). A more recent discussion of the subject, with a different interpretation, is found in Tanner (1979, ch. 6). » 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.19. « Placation of the spirits of game animals was also an important element in Montagnais religion. The collection contains two black bear skulls, one of which is lashed to a piece of wood with narrow strips of caribou skin (fig. 26d). In the Lake St. John area, as well as elsewhere among the Montagnais-Naskapi, the skulls of slain bears were placed in trees. The animals were believed to derive spiritual satisfaction from this procedure and Speck (1935, pp. 102-103, pi. 7) notes that it may be a form of tree burial in which bears, like people, are recognized as being immortal. »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.20, fig 26d (p.54).

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard P. Valelly

Painted, tripod bowl. Central area of interior has brown on cream painted skull; edges have brown on cream geometric designs; sides of exterior have black, white, and red geometric designs. Legs of tripod are hollow and contain clay rattles. Condition: good; object was broken into 8 pieces and repaired; some pieces are missing. Original repairs dismantled and re-repaired in June 2004.

Bequest of Porter Hoagland

Bequest of Porter Hoagland

The object is a large carved wooden ladle (a), decorated in black and red paint, with a separately carved wooden skull (b) nesting in its bowl. At the end of the ladle's handle is an animal head. Both skull and animal head have pieces of fur attached.

The object, in the shape of a skull, was carved from a single, hollowed out piece of wood. Its lower jaw is missing. With four nails, the skull, without its lower jaw, was attached to a metal disk with a dome-shaped center. The object is in stable and fair condition. There is a repaired crack on the proper left side of the back of the skull as well as a repaired splinter at the proper right side of the lower edge. At the top of the skull on the proper right side, there is a large circular wooden plug.

A bird skull, with part of the body.