Argillite Plate
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1991
name: label: Donor Name
content: No Information
notes: label: Notes
content: From card: "Haida. Central motif depicts a halibut and a raven. Edge of plate has inlaid triangles of abalone shell." Illus. Pl. 153, p. 186 and described p. 195 in Yehl, The Raven chapter of Barbeau, Charles Marius. 1953. Haida myths illustrated in argillite carvings. [Ottawa]: Dept. of Resources and Development, National Parks Branch, National Museum of Canada. Identified there as "An oval dish decorated in low relief with the Halibut. On this fish, in higher relief, the raven lies with his wings rolled up, to show that he is within the Halibut after putting on the fish skin. In this guise the Raven once travelled round the southern parts of the Queen Charlotte Islands, fighting monsters. The remaining space in the dish is covered with decorative designs: eyes, ears. Triangular inlays of abalone shells dot the ribbon border of the dish. This is Skidegate work. ... 16 1/2" long x 10" across, very shallow. The high point of the centre carries it even with the rim. No lathe marks. Bottom plain." Illus. Pl. 58, p. 47 in Barbeau, Marius. 1957. Haida carvers in argillite/ Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources, National Museum of Canada. Barbeau attributes to carver Tom Price. "The eagle with folded wings in high relief at the centre of the plate lies on the Halibut."
label: Record Last Modified
content: 7 Jul 2021
label: Specimen Count
content: 2
place: label: Place
content: Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) (not certain), British Columbia (not certain), Canada (not certain), North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Haida (?)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 999999
label: USNM Number
content: ET653-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Plate
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 41.9 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 26.7 cm