The Sheldon Jackson Museum October 2025 artifacts of the month are three recently acquired Northwest Coast copper spoons (SJ-2025-6-1, SJ-2025-6-2, and SJ-2025-6-3). The spoons were donated by Kenneth Marchant.
We don't have documentation about the maker or when the spoons were made, but they are likely Tlingit and probably date to the late 19th century. They highlight an interesting transition in the use of different metals and the fine metallurgy tradition in Alaska.
The Sheldon Jackson Museum cares for 119 silver Northwest Coast spoons, but we only have five copper spoons and one copper and silver spoon in the collection. While most of the Northwest Coast spoons and bracelets in the collection are silver, silver was not a traditional material for Alaska Native peoples. Copper was the first metal worked. It was sourced from along the Copper and Chitina Rivers. The trade for copper was dominated by the Tlingit people. Other materials, including iron from shipwrecks carried by Japanese currents and brass, were also utilized and reworked, particularly for weaponry, armor, bracelets, neck adornments, and finger rings. There is documentation of Haida wearing copper bracelets prior to the 19th century. Once silver became easily obtainable in the 1860s, it largely replaced copper.
Visit the museum to see the October artifacts of the month. Except for holidays, the Sheldon Jackson Museum is currently open Wednesday–Saturday, 10 am–4 pm. Admission is $7, $6 for seniors, and free for ages 18 and under and active military and their families.
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