Haida Feast Bowl

This feast bowl was carved from a single piece of cedar, and the rim was decorated with brass tacks. Both ends feature a formline carving of a thunderbird, and there are additional carved lines on the sides. Bowls like this were used at feasts to hold food or eulachon oil — the latter from a small fish also known as candlefish and traditionally used by First Nations for food and ceremonial purposes. In this bowl’s case, grease remains soaked into the wood, making parts of it feel a bit sticky.

British physician and botanist Charles F. Newcombe collected objects from peoples of the Northwest Coast, and these items found their way into many museum collections around the world, including the HBC Museum Collection. He obtained this bowl sometime between 1895 and 1901 at Kaigani, the name given to a group of harbours near Haida settlements on Dall Island, Alaska, north of Haida Gwaii.

As is the case for many early collectors, Newcombe’s practices are rightfully being questioned as Indigenous nations work to find out where their belongings have ended up and how they were acquired. My current research with the HBC Museum Collection involves delving into the archives to try to answer these important questions regarding people who obtained items for the Hudson’s Bay Company.