318 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



point of size, although it is severely plain and unornamented. Looking 

 at a horn of a mouu tain sheep it seems difficult to conceive how the Indians 

 can get so large a spoon out of such a curled and unpromising looking 

 object. The bowl of the spoon comes from the largest part; the handle 

 runs the full length to the tip, and is afterwards straightened out by 

 steaming it. In general, spoons are shaped by steaming in a wooden 

 mould made in two pieces, and scored out inside to the required shape. 

 This type of great horn spoon is usually elaborately and deeply carved 

 in totemic design, and sometimes inlaid with abalone shell. They are 

 preserved as heirlooms id the families and considered of great value. 

 A not uncommon type of spoon is shown in Figs. 210, 212, 213, and 

 221, the bowl being from the horn of a mountain sheep and the handle a 

 mountain goat horn, elaborately carved in a legendary or totemic de- 

 sign. The handle is very ingeniously secured to the bowl by a sort of 

 tongue and groove rivetted through with copper. The significance of 

 the carvings on the handles of those shown in the plate, as far as known 

 to the writer, is given in the explanation of the figures. The spoons 

 shown in Figs. 211, 214, and 219 are made entirely of the hprns of the 

 mountain goat, the bowls being formed by splitting the horn at the 

 base and rolling it out flat by steaming and bending it. Fig. 220 is a 

 plain sheep-horn spoon, similar in shape to the wooden one shown in 

 Fig. 238. The long, flat putty-knife or spatula-shaped objects shown 

 in Plate XLir are berry spoons, or ceremonial feast spoons, made of wood 

 and carved or painted in totemic design These are shown in different 

 views, well illustrating the variety of shapes. Fig. 224 of the pre- 

 ceding plate represents a pair of spoons of this type carved from whale- 

 bone and obtained at Sitka, Alaska. A most elaborately carved pair of 

 wooden ceremonial spoons in the collection resemble the orca or 

 whale-killer. Other types of ordinary wooden spoons are shown in 

 Figs. 233, 237, 238, and 239. Fig. 274, Plate lt, illustrates a wooden 

 ceremonial spoon of enormous size found amongst the Haida, the 

 bowl having a capacity of two quarts. This is used in the ceremonies 

 attending the initiation of young men into 'the responsibilities of 

 rank, when the novice must publicly drink to the last drop the contents 

 of the bowl consisting of fish oil, without removing the spoon from 

 his lips. The exact nature of this ceremony is not understood by the 

 writer, but this use for such a large spoon has been explained to him 

 by several people well versed in Haida customs. Fig. 201, Plate 

 XXXIX, represents a carved wooden oil ladle or spoon. 



Household boxes or chests. — These are for the stowage or packingaway 

 of ceremonial paraphernalia and the goods and chattels of the household. 

 They vary in size and shape, as shown in Plate li. 



The oblong chests are simply great wooden boxes with heavy bottoms 

 and peculiarly shaped lids. The sides of these are made either in two 

 or in four pieces. When made in two pieces a thin wide piece of cedar 

 is bent at right angles by means of hot water, forming a side and an end, 



