Bowl/Dish/Tray
vido nigidhi'oy - “wooden food bowl” (Athabaskan); ts’uk’ - “dish, plate” (Athabaskan); quantaq - “bowl, plate, dish” (Yup’ik)
34.4 cm long x 20.5 cm wide x 1 cm thick x 4.5-6 cm deep (outside)
Carved wood
Lower Yukon, Alaska (Deg Hi’tan/Deg Xinag), c. 1869
Collector: W. H. Dall
Museum ID number: DAL.C1.a.0091
Within a given Arctic household, bowls were in constant use for every meal. They were used to bring food to the men’s communal house, and to serve guests arriving throughout the day. This particular bowl is stained with obvious signs of heavy use. Bowls were traditionally made by men within the community, and were, at times, created as a part of rituals and ceremonies. They were often decorated with family designs. This one in particular is decorated with two black lines circling the inside and one thicker red line painted around the rim. The black lines may serve as female symbols. As red is a sacred color, the rim may be the final encircling line that the artist painted in order to imbue the object with spiritual life, enabling it to become a part of all other world things. The sacred red coloring may indicate that the dish was owned by a respected member of the community.