Tobacco Box
meluskarvik “container for snuff”
Box: 7.8cm x 5.5cm x 3.7cm x 2.9cm, Lid: 5.9cm x 3.3cm x 0.5cm
Wood, animal cord, red dye
Qissunaq ("Kushunuk"), Alaska (Yup’ik), c.1879
Collector: E. W. Nelson
Museum ID: NEL.C1.ad.0132
This wooden object may have been used as a tobacco box or as a shaman’s tool. Containers such as these were used to store chewing tobacco or snuff, both of which were widely used among men and women.Tobacco could not be grown locally, and thus was a luxury trade item in the 19th century Alaska Native Communities. The box is painted red, a color that indicates spiritual importance. Often craftsmen would use tobacco boxes to show of their skills, creating detailed designs often inspired by wildlife. Only leaders or shamans would have a decorative piece like this.