Sculpture Item Number: A1632 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Ground stone figure in the shape of a human head with carved details. Facial features include eyes with prominent browline, defined cheekbones, a straight mouth with an oval shaped depression around it.

Cultural Context

archaeological

Narrative

Said by Ross Brooks to have been found c. 1944 in a mound along the lower Fraser River. Brooks, who ran a curio shop in Vancouver, said he collected dozens of stone carvings from the mound. However the site location was never disclosed, or discovered by other archaeologists, before his death in 1946. After he died his widow sold his collection of carvings - commonly called 'Brooks heads'. The carvings have been controversial since their 'discovery', as some archaeologists argue they may have been created by Brooks and manipulated to appear old. (For example, see discussion in the journal article "A New Look at Northwest Coast Stone Bowls", in Archaeology of Coastal British Columbia, pp. 165-174, by Grant Keddie.) Apparently, Wilson Duff and Keddie thought this particular carving might be authentic? According to Keddie, Wilson Duff wrote (in a 1961 letter): "Only one of the stone heads [A1632] seems to fit into the archaeology of this area.”

Item History

What

Name
Sculpture
Identification Number
A1632
Type of Item
sculpture
Material
stone
Manufacturing Technique
carved and ground
Overall
height 4.5 in, width 4.0 in, depth 7.0079 in

Who

Culture
Coast Salish ?
Previous Owner
Ross A. Brooks and Mabel Orr Brooks
Received from
Mabel Orr Brooks (Seller) and H. R. MacMillan (Funding source)

Where

Holding Institution
MOA: University of British Columbia
Made in
British Columbia, Canada
Collected in
Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada

When

Collection Date
during 1944
Ownership Date
before 1946 and before 1948
Acquisition Date
during 1950

Other

Item Classes
carvings & sculpture
Condition
fair
Accession Number
1861/0085