Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Header image

Maintenance on this system will make it temporarily unavailable for short periods of time between 8:00 and 10:00 AM EDT this Saturday, 06 June.

 
 
Results
 
Catalog#
Division
Object Name
Index Term
Culture
Country
Province/State
 
 
E2124-0
Ethnology
Blanket
Blanket
Salish
United States
Oregon Territory
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Page
of 1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Displaying records 1 - 1 of 1
Intro image

Anthropology Collections Search

Information about this database, our image use policy, search tips, and a list of additional sources of information are available in the Introduction.

Use the Keyword Search to perform simple keyword searches on selected fields. If you need to search on another field, use the By Field Search. If you would just like to see a sample from the collection, choose a topic from the Quick Browse Searches below.

Searches will return a maximum of 5000 records. Consider using additional search terms to narrow the results.

For more information about Anthropology collections, see our main collections page.

Help

See the Help tab to learn more about searching and then exploring your returned results (sorting, exporting, etc.).

Quick Browse Searches

 
Keyword Search
  
  
  
 
Search By Field
 
Search Archaeobiology

Use the By Field search to find specimen data that match values in specific database fields. Enter a value or choose one from the dropdown lists. Use the Archaeobiology search to restrict results to Archaeobiology records.

  • Click the Search button to initiate a search. Clear resets all fields.
  • Some lists are linked, so for example, choosing a Country narrows the choices for Province/State/Territory, and District/County. Dropdown choices also narrow as you type.
  • Check Only Records with Images if you want to restrict the search to records with multimedia content.
  • You can force an exact search by surrounding your search text in double-quotes. Exact means exact, the search is case-sensitive and must match the value of the entire field. An exact search will also take much longer to complete.
  • You will receive a warning when you enter invalid information in the text fields. For example, Catalog Numbers are composed strictly of letters and numbers; other characters raise a warning.
  • Select Advanced Search to search additional fields.
 
Feedback
Please give us your comments on these search pages. Include your email address if you would like to receive a response.
Comments are limited to 1500 characters:
  
  
  
Records/Page to Display:
Search will be unavailable on Tuesday, 17 April, from 10 to 10:30 AM (EDT)

Enter your keywords separated by spaces and click Search. Records that match your search terms will be returned.

Keyword search example: knife sri lanka

The results of your searches can be displayed in Grid (a sortable, customizable table) or Gallery View (best for reviewing images). Use the Switch button Change View to cycle between these views.

In Grid View:

In Gallery View:

See Exporting Results for information on downloading results to, for example, Excel.

Open the full collection record by clicking the expansion button (Expansion button) in Grid View, or anywhere within the image frame in Gallery View. Inverse expansion buttons (Collapse button) indicate records with multimedia (typically, images).

Sort results in Grid View by clicking the column header (or by choosing Sort from the column's dropdown menu).

Export all or selected results by clicking the Export Results as CSV button in the bottom toolbar in Grid or Gallery View.

Here are a few search tips:

To create a link to specific records at NMNH provide a querystring for:

https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/anth/?QUERYSTRING

where QUERYSTRING is (use a plus-sign to separate case-insensitive terms):

It is best to use only letters, numbers, pluses (+), dashes (-), and commas in your querystrings, and to avoid other characters.

Please use the Feedback page to report problems you find with the data, or with using these search pages.

 
 
 
Ethnology : Blanket
Catalog Number:E2124-0
Specimen Count:1
Division:Ethnology
Object Name:Blanket
Index Term:Blanket
Other Object Term(s):Robe; Salish Textile
Culture:Salish
Continent:North America
Country:United States
Province/State:Oregon Territory
Collector(s):Robinson, R. P.
Collection Date:1838 to 1842 (1838-1842)
Accession Number:66A00050
Donor Name:United States Exploring Expedition
Accession Date:1858
Other Numbers:
TypeValue
Field Number312
Black/white negative number78-3060
Color transparency number78-3060
Black/white negative number30670E
Black/white negative numberMNH037
Black/white negative number2002-12299
Color transparency number2002-12260
Specific MaterialMountain goat hair; Salish Wool dog hair
Manufacturing TechniqueTextile; Twined
Dimensions:
OfTypeModifierValueUnit
ObjectLength171cm
ObjectWidth142cm
Notes:WOOLEN BLANKET SUPPOSEDLY WOVEN OF MOUNTAIN GOAT WOOL AND DOG HAIR. THE DESIGN IS COMPOSED OF BANDS OF ZIGZAG DESIGNS AND STRIPES IN YELLOW, WHITE, BLUE, GREEN, RED, WITH AN INSERTED AREA OF BROAD RED, YELLOW AND WHITE STRIPES WITH VERTICAL LINES ON EITHER SIDE. THE BLANKET IS FRINGED ON THREE SIDES. SMITHSONIAN ANNUAL REPORT, 1928, PG. 639, PL. 9-C. REMOVED FROM PERMANENT EXHIBIT IN THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN HALL, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. EXHIBITED MAGNIFICENT VOYAGERS, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, 1985-86. Jane Walsh identifies this textile as Peale # 312, which is described (as is Peale # 313) in the U.S. Exploring Expedition Peale catalogue as a blanket made of wool of the Rocky mountain sheep, by the natives of Puget sound, NW Coast of America. Illus. Pl. 1, p. 41 and Fig. 28, p. 46 of Salish Weaving by Paula Gustafson, Univ. of Washington Press, 1980. Described on p. 125, cat. entry 82, of Gustafson as "Fibres: Mountain goat hair and vegetable fibers. Colour: Natural white, black, dark brown, red, yellow and blue. Weave: Twine." Also described on p. 47 of Gustafson: "... displays horizontal panels, but is composed of fifteen major and eighteen minor partitions. One of the major components takes up about a third of the weaving and is itself composed of three sections with horizontal bars across the centre section and the two end portions, displaying a vertical zigzag and bar motif. ... (It) is fringed only on three sides. There is no border pattern." Gustafson also notes that blanket exhibits fading colors due to exposure to light, probably while on exhibit. Illus. Fig. 10.13, p. 240 in Brotherton, Barbara. 2008. S'abadeb = The gifts : Pacific Coast Salish arts and artists. Seattle: Seattle Art Museum in association with University of Washington Press. Figure caption: "In her study of Salish weaving, Paula Gustafson categorizes robes by their designs as being classic, colonial or hybrid. This robe fell within the classic category because of its emphasis on geometric patterns arranged in vertical bands. These robes were created between 1778 and 1850, when the indigenous traditions were not influenced by imported motifs and materials (Gustafson 1980: 37.) ... (T)his example consists of fifteen major and eighteen minor design units composed in vertical and horizontal sections. It is tightly twined without a border pattern and is fringed on three sides." Reference: Solazzo, C., S. Heald, M.W. Ballard, D.A. Ashford, P.T. DePriest, R.J. Koestler, and M. Collins. 2011. Proteomics and Coast Salish blankets: A tale of shaggy dogs? Antiquity 85: 1418-1432. http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/085/ant0851418.htm . Identified there as a Classic (1778 - 1850) blanket - weft/fringe Mountain goat hair; warp Salish wool or woolly dog hair. FROM CARD: "CAPE. MADE OF DOG AND GOAT HAIR. REFER: SMITH. I. A.R. 1928, PG. 639, PL. 9-C. ILLUS.: THE SPIRIT SINGS. CATALOGUE, GLENBOW-ALBERTA INST., 1987, #N104, P.155. ILLUS.: FIG. 21, P.18 IN A GUIDE TO WEFT TWINING BY DAVID W. FRASER. PHILADELPHIA: UNIVERSITY OF PENN. PRESS, 1989." X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) testing was conducted on this textile in 2017. Arsenic was detected. The testing suggests this textile was treated with pesticides that contained arsenic. The testing indicates there are high levels of arsenic (over 10,000 ppm). Mercury was also detected. The testing suggests this textile was treated with pesticides that contained mercury. The testing indicates there are medium (300-1,000 ppm) to high levels of mercury. See Anthropology Conservation Lab records for the full report. This object should be handled with gloves. See the Department of Anthropology "Statement on Potential Hazards (Inherent and Acquired) Associated with Collection Objects" for more detailed handling guidelines. Illus. Fig. 31, p. 89, and Fig. 39, p. 99 (detail), in Tepper, Leslie Heymann, Janice George, and Willard Joseph. 2017. Salish Blankets: robes of protection and transformation, symbols of wealth.
EZID:http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/38ac5c921-99ef-4e57-9e19-ed7411a3de2f