Spoon

Along the Northwest Coast, in general, undecorated spoons of wood and horn were used in everyday life, while more elaborately carved versions were used on special occassions. Horn spoons were often passed down in families as heirlooms, such spoons are generally darker in colour than those of recent manufacture. The bowls of these spoons are too large to place in the mouth, so food is sipped from the sides or the end.

household utensil; domestic; archaeological

Bill Holm notes that: "The horn spoon whether from the massive, spiral horn of the mountain sheep or the slim, black, dagger-like horn of the mountain goat, is cut from the partially hollow curved material and brought to its final form by spreading the bowl and bending the handle (1987:90)." While Philip Drucker notes that: "horn of both mountain sheep and mountain goat was used for various purposes, after being softened in boiling water to permit shaping and molding (1955:51)."

Sheep horn spoon with round shallow bowl and long, narrow handle. Handle has a rounded end and rims a recessed area which extends upwards from the bowl of the spoon. A distinct bend in the horn separates the bowl of the spoon from its handle. The horn has a warm amber colour, except near the end of the handle where it has a grey tone.