Producer unknown to us
Spoon
Americas, Canada, British Columbia
1850–1920
Wood; carved, painted
Collection context unknown to us
Handed over to Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden from Naturkundemuseum Görlitz in 1959
52620
This carved and painted wooden spoon is decorated with animal and eye ornaments in the regional “formline” style of the Northwest Coast of America. It was probably used at potlatches.
To this day, a “potlatch” (to give away) is where Indigenous communities on the Northwest Coast negotiate social status, kinship, and (im)material privileges. Potlatches are held to celebrate events of great significance, such as weddings, building a home, initiations, deaths, or for everyday occasions. In addition to entertaining their guests, the hosts used to give out gifts such as canoes, furs, and blankets. Nowadays, gifts may also include jewelry, clothing, or coffee. This serves as a “payment” to the guests in order to prove the host’s status. In the 19th century, potlatches temporarily escalated into competitions in which people tried to outdo each other in displaying their wealth, for example, by destroying gifts or offering excessive amounts of food. Since this ritual generosity was in stark contrast to the Euro-American principles of accumulating wealth, the feast was banned in Canada from 1885 to 1951 in an effort to force “civilization” on Indigenous communities.
This piece came to Dresden from Naturkundemuseum Görlitz in 1959 as part of the GDR’s museum profiling campaign.
Frank Usbeck