Yellow cedar bark beater
Date19th century
Label TextThis hard-working tool was a prized implement in the cedar bark worker’s tool kit. After strips of the inner bark of the red or yellow cedar trees were separated from the outer bark, it was further prepared by pounding it with a beater in order to break the strong fibers and to soften the fiber for weaving. The whale tail at the handle alludes to the importance of whale hunting among the Nuu-chah-nulth.
Object number93.79
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Elegant Plain Art: Art from the Shaker World and Beyond, July 7, 1999 - February 1, 2001Credit LineMargaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund and the General Acquisition Fund in honor of Jay and Susan Gates
Dimensions2 x 1 11/16 in. (5.08 x 4.25 cm)
L.: 11 13/16 in.
MediumWhalebone
First Nations, Nuu-chah-nulth, Hesquiat
late 19th century to first quarter 20th century
Object number: 92.119.1
First Nations, Nuu-chah-nulth, Hesquiat
late 19th century to first quarter 20th century
Object number: 92.119.2
First Nations, Nuu-chah-nulth, Hesquiat
late 19th century to first quarter 20th century
Object number: 92.122.1
First Nations, Nuu-chah-nulth, Hesquiat
late 19th century to first quarter 20th century
Object number: 92.122.2
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