There are many examples among Northwest Coast artifacts of spoons and ladles made from the combination of two animal horns. Some are composed of mountain goat horn, unmodified in shape but carved with sculptural figures for the backward bend of the handle, combined with another goat horn boiled, split open and spread out to create an upturned curve in a bowl much wider than the horn. Fewer in number perhaps are those made by combining a sculptured goat horn for the handle with a bowl made from mountain sheep horn (usually of the Dall species) with its ivory-like colour and rich translucence. The greater volumetric capacity of a sheep horn enables a much larger bowl than would a goat horn, creating what might be termed a ladle rather than a spoon for an individual’s use.

This example joins goat and sheep horn, the joint accomplished using small rivets made of what appears to be hammered copper. The goat horn handle is carved in a late nineteenth century Tlingit style, with little fine detail and no two-dimensional design embroidery. The comparatively large bowl is made of a Dall sheep horn with a consistent and smooth ivory colour. It’s possible that the bowl is older than the handle, and was originally made as a one-piece ladle, many examples of which exist today in museums and private collections. The handle was probably made and connected to fancy up the ensemble, either for a traditional event or eventual sale. Some such examples exhibit great genius in the overlap, one fitting almost seamlessly into the other, while this one employs a basic overlap and pinning together of the two horns.

Steven C. Brown

The handle employs classic crest imagery in stacked form, featuring a diving sea creature, a seal, and a bear. The eyes of the seal and bear are inlaid with abalone.