[Photograph of a Tsartlip (West Saanich) at the Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia]

Creator: Chandra Bodalia

2004-02-19

Photograph of an Indigenous artifact called Tsartlip (West Saanich) on display at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Central Coast Salish families held memorial services, like second funerals, a year or more after the death of a loved one. At this time they often commissioned an elaborately decorated casket or effigy to honour respected leaders. These memorials were placed at family mortuary sites. This memorial artifact is both an effigy of the deceased and a casket. The monument illustrates two distinctive Central Coast Salish sculptural styles: realistic sculpture in the round (human figures); and highly stylized engraving on the surface of the box (fish).

The museum is committed to promoting awareness and understanding of culturally diverse ways of knowing the world through challenging and innovative programs and partnerships with Indigenous, local and global communities. It is renowned for its extensive collection of First Nations art and cultural artifacts, particularly from the Pacific Northwest.

Source, UBC Museum of Anthropology: https://moa.ubc.ca/#menu-about Source, Artifact: https://www.donsmaps.com/mortuarypolesgraves.html

1 photograph : col. negative

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0