Carved, oval food bowl made from the horn of a Dall sheep, with an undulating rim, in the form of two zoomorphic figures (possibly marmot, though more likely wolf or bear) decorated with Haliotis shell inlay. If the crest is marmot then the bowl is more likely to be Tsimshian than Tlingit.
This feast dish is made from the horn of a mountain sheep. It was boiled and carefully shaped, and then carved with images of two wolves – an important crest among Tlingit people. The wolves’ eyes are made with inlaid abalone (haliotis) shell. This dish would have been used to serve sea-mammal or fish oil to important guests at potlatch feasts. At these feasts very large quantities of food and gifts were given away to demonstrate the generosity and status of the hosts.
