Dish

A grease or food dish carved in the form of a sealion or beaver. A label formerly attached to the inside of this dish reads:

“Calabash or dish. Yellow cedar wood. Carved by the last unbaptized heathen man in Kilhatlah (BC) named Allan Laka (pronounced Allaan-Lakhuh) or as he named by the children ‘Nbibs Jonathon’ or the uncle of Jonathon.
Presented by Rev. RW and Mrs Gurd CMS. 10 september 1902.”

CMS is the Church Missionary Society, now known as the Church Mission Society, whose work to spread the Christian gospel in Canada began in 1822. This item was collected by the Rev. Richard Winter Gurd.

‘Kilhatlah’ is a misspelling of Gitxaala (Kitkatla), south of Prince Rupert on the British Columbia mainland.

The use of yellow cedar suggests that this item was once owned by an individual of high rank.

Transferred to RAMM in 1974 by Woodspring Museum, Weston-super-mare.

Object Summary

Accession Loan No.
64/1974/56
Collection Class
Containers
Collection Area Region
North America
Material
yellow cedar wood | | | |
Common Name
dish
Simple Name
dish
Production Town
Kitkatla
Production County
British Columbia
Production Country
Canada
Production Person Initials
Allan
Production Person Surname
Laka
Production Year Low
Production Year High
1902

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feasting dish