Money purse and shells

Museum number:

1-11574a-c

Permalink:

ark:/21549/hm210111574a@2dc

Accession number:

Acc.267

Object count:

3

Description:

(a) Money purse. Elk antler, curved, hollow; raised flange at each end with 5 transverse grooves. Incised isosceles triangle design in 2 rows alongside slot. (b) Cover, antler splint, rectangular, with leather thong attached. (c) String of 6 dentalium shells in closed loop.

Donor:

Alfred L. Kroeber

Collection place:

Ko'tep, Humboldt County, California

Verbatim coll. place:

California; Humboldt; Ko'tep

Culture or time period:

Yurok

Collector:

Alfred L. Kroeber and F. E. Gist

Collection date:

1906

Taxon:

Dentaliidae

Object type:

ethnography

Object class:

Money purses

Function:

7.4 Non-issued Media of Exchange, Symbolic Valuables, and Associated Containers

Accession date:

1907

Context of use:

Purse for carrying dentalium shells. Note: Dentalium shells (c) found inside purse, possibly used for exhibit purposes.

Department:

Native California (archaeology and ethnology)

Dimensions:

(b)— length 11.1 centimeters, (b)— width 1.7 centimeters, (a)— length 18 centimeters, and (a)— diameter 4.7 centimeters

Comment:

Cat. no. added 7/23/1973 by M.S.

Loans:

S1980-1981 #52: Department of Anthropology (UC Berkeley) (February 11, 1981–February 13, 1981), S1980-1981 #68: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Indian Programs (May 8, 1981–May 8, 1981), S1981-1982 #23: Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology/Lawrence E. Dawson (October 28, 1981–October 28, 1981), S1981-1982 #67: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Indian Programs (June 9, 1982–June 9, 1982), and S1996-1997 #3: Great Valley Museum of Natural History (September 4, 1996–December 17, 1996)

Images:

Legacy documentation: