Large wooden slab, carved and painted; possibly a house post; weathered board with abstract red-painted design in low relief. Red pigment used.
Donor:
Alaska Commercial Company, Benjamin Bristol, and Older University Collections
Collection place:
Puget Sound, Western Washington
Verbatim coll. place:
Puget Sound attrib.
Culture or time period:
Coast Salish
Collector:
John McHenry
Collection date:
1889
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Carvings (visual works)
Function:
4.1 Dwellings and Furnishings
Accession date:
1904
Context of use:
House post (?). Possibly part of an indoor house post set on the long sides of the house to represent the guardian spirit of the head of the family living in each section.
Department:
Native US and Canada (except California)
Dimensions:
height 1.33 centimeters and width 79 centimeters
Comment:
See letter from Erna Gunther in accession envelope for additional information. Old Wells Fargo label indicates piece shipped from Port Townsend, W.T. ca. 1889. Since 1889 is the year Washington became a state, the board definitely predates that year. Photo: yes.
Loans:
S1966-1967 #89: University of Alaska, Fairbanks (April 17, 1967–October 2, 1967)