Context (References)
On the catalogue card a note reads, "Swanton (The Haida: Jessup N-W Amer. Exped., etc.) says that in such composite spoons the handle is usually made of mountain goat and the bowl of mountain sheep horn."
Event Date
Author: Katrina Dring

Context (Amendments / updates)
The original European tribal names and, where possible, current tribal names have both been given in separate GLT fields.


Event Date
Author: Katrina Dring

Description (Physical description)
Horn spoon, the bowl and handle made separately and riveted together by copper rivets, elaborately decorated with conventionalised animals, totemic figures, etc. carved in the round on the handle and engraved on the back of the bowl.
Event Date 1/1/1993
Author: maa

Context (Amendments / updates)
This spoon had been given a Z number, Z 14928 B, but in black ink the original catalogue number is visible.


Event Date 1/1/1993
Author: maa

Context (Amendments / updates)
Register notes for some of this donation, 1944.51- 3 and 1944.56, that it was given by Lady Smith Woodward in 'memory of Sir Arthur Smith Woodward'.

Paeologist Sir Arthur Smith Woodward (1864-1944) was Keeper of the Geological Department of the British Museum from 1901-1924, and this is likely to be his widow, Maud Leanora Ida Smith Woodward, nee Seeley.
Event Date 13/4/2015
Author: Rachel Hand

Context (References)
Included in a survey of objects for Lenore Thompson's PhD thesis, "Copper on the Northwest Coast: A Material Investigation of Cultural Entanglements During the Fur Trade and Colonial Periods." Dated August 2019.

Copper or copper alloy from 323 artefacts from 14 museums across the UK, Canada and United States was analysed using a handheld portable XRF machine to determine the elements present within the metal sample. This is a non-destructive technique. Objects were also examined for indicators of the manufacturing processes and the chaine operatoire of the object.

Native copper, found as nuggets and dentritic masses can include trace elements (<1%) of iron, vanadium, manganese, antimony and silver. There is no known Indigenous pyrometallurgical tradition prior to the colonial period and metal working techniques were limited to cold working and annealing. The presence of arsenic, lead, tin, zinc and nickel all indicate pyrometallurgical processes of smelting and/or alloying and therefore that metals whose composition these elements were originally sourced from trade or salvage.
Event Date 8/2019
Author: Katrina Dring

Context (Production / use)
Examined by Lenore Thompson [University of Sheffield] who noted the following processes of production and use for the two rivets:
Cut
Hammering & Shaping, circular/cylindrical
Ground & Polished
Mechanically joined, coiled
Event Date 8/2019
Author: Katrina Dring

Context (Analysis)
Analysed by Lenore Thompson [University of Sheffield] using a handheld portable XRF machine. Two rivets were analysed.

Rivet 1 (classified as Leaded Lo Zn Copper)
Copper (Cu) 95.13
Lead (Pb) 1.65
Zinc (Zn) 3.22

Rivet 2 (classified as Leaded Zinc Arsenic Bronze)
Copper (Cu) 41.88
Arsenic (As) 12.00
Lead (Pb) 33.47
Zinc (Zn) 8.80
Chromium (Cr) 3.85

Event Date 8/2019
Author: Katrina Dring

Context (Amendments / updates)
Provenance of Haida Gwaii added due to Haida attribution

The Northwest Coast Collection was re-catalogued and photographed by Dr. Gillian Crowther in 1992. The revised database records were reproduced in her ‘Catalogue of the Northwest Coast Collection: Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology’, 1992, revised 2nd edition 1996.

Event Date 30/3/2020
Author: rachel hand