Whatzit answer

Oops. Time got away from me here. We've been pretty busy these past couple of weeks. Unpacking, more unpacking, grant writing, planning for the exhibit in the fall, making tweaks to the gallery, dealing with the occasional crisis... there's been quite a bit going on.

So, what was that photo anyway?

May was correct! The image is a super close up of the toe of one of our many moccasins. Here's the rest of it:


It's sitting cozy in its custom mount on its new shelf home.

Return of the Friday Whatzit

The museum was lucky enough to receive a small grant recently. This grant enabled us to purchase some supplies for making object mounts, and a shiny new camera. You should notice a marked increase in the quality of the images. I'm finding it a lot of fun to run around and take these great detail shots of objects, so that's the sort of Whatzit we're playing today.

Here's a close up of a collections object, cropped so that it's even smaller and more difficult to identify. The game is guess what this object might be.


Have fun guessing!

Whatzit: November 7, 2008

It's Friday! Whatzit time! You know the drill: I show you a picture, you guess what the object is/is for. This time, I confess, I am cheating a little. This is not an object from our permanent collection; this is an object I came across while cleaning my office. I'll post about something related next week.

On to the photos!


It's made of teak. The top rolls back. And there are little pads on the bottom.


So.... What is it?

Whatzit Answer: 9/19/2008

Last Friday's Whatzit garnered two guesses: A silly guess (my apologies, Jeff, if this answer was sincere) that the object in question is a decorative figleaf, and a more serious guess (thank you, May) that the object is a pincushion.



I would agree with May, that the practical use of this object was as a pincushion, although I might also imagine that it was simply hung on the wall. In our database, however, we call it neither a pincushion or a wall hanging; it's a whimsey.

Yes, whimsey, as in whimsical, fanciful, fun, silly. Produced by tribes of the northeast, often Iroquois or Mohawk, whimseys were popular between 1890 and 1930, often sold at craft fairs or, notably, to tourists at Niagara Falls. Whimseys were produced in many shapes and styles. The whimsey in Friday's post is known as a trilobe heart, but the boot was also a very popular style. We have many examples of whimseys in our collection.

An essay on Iroquois beadwork is available here, and images of many more whimsies are available here.

Whatzit Answer: 6/20/2008

Whoops! I didn't mean Thursday when I told you that the answer to last week's Whatzit would be revealed early this week.



There were two excellent guesses as to what this strange contraption might be: A clothes drier or wringer, or a paper or cardboard crimper. Both are close in their own way: This contraption is a fluting iron.

A fluting iron was used to put crimps, pleats, or ruffles into petticoats in days of yore. So it has both to do with laundry and crimping - half points to both guessers. Most fluting irons were not so fancy as this hand crank model - they usually had a ridged base and a ridged curved handheld top part. This particular fluting iron is from right here in Ellensburg, WA and is part of the oldest and most diverse collection in the museum. It's exact history is not known, but one can easily imagine the pioneer families of the Kittitas Valley ordering a fluting iron from the city to bring a little bit of luxury to their lives.

You can see many kinds of historic irons in North Dakota State University's Emily P. Reynolds Historic Costume Collection.

June 20, 2008 - Whatzit?

Oh boy have I got a good whatzit for you today! At least I think so. Check it out (click to view larger version):



It's metal, you can turn the hand crank which causes the two rollers to turn, and it's a pretty sturdy little machine. There's a small tab in front that can move back and forth adjusting... something.

From the back:


There are a few more photos, including of the text on the object, in our Flickr stream. Take a look at them, then come back here and give me your best guess on this mystery machine. All will be revealed early next week.

Whatzit: May 2nd answer

Last Friday I asked you what this very intimidating object might be:


I only got two responses! I thought for sure something this crazy looking would have you all intrigued. But those I got were... well, they were very creative!

"I'm gonna guess: hoof spikes for battle horses!"

"From the time of its invention in 1809 up until the civil war, the swingbarb was used by whaling ships for unspeakable purposes."

Interesting thoughts, but I'm afraid they are incorrect. As it happens, my research has led me to believe that our records are incorrect for this object as well. Our records say that this is a spur. And that does make some sense - it's pointy, has loops to be tied to something, and is adjustable. But that's not right. Get this: It's a device to wean a calf from its mother. Specifically it is a spiked calf weaner (link goes to a modern version). You can see an old version at this online auction site (lot #8).

This is a device which is worn by the calf as a nose ring, making it the most punk of all the barnyard animals. The outward facing spikes (which are not really sharp) poke the mother cow when the calf attempts to nurse, which makes her reject the calf's attempts. They also make it difficult for the calf to suckle. Thus the calf is forced to eat grains and so forth.

Whatzit: May 2, 2008

Welcome to the return of Friday Whatzits, and boy do I have a good one for you.

In this game, I give you a photo - either of a whole object, or a small part of an object, and you get to guess what it is. Then, sometime early next week, I reveal the identity of the object! Today is a whole object, a mystery object for you to guess.

(Click on photos to see larger versions)


This unpleasant looking device is made of metal.



It has a hinge which allows the opening to be adjusted.



So.... what is it?

What is this?

As the cataloging project moves forward, we occasionally encounter objects we can't quite classify. For instance, this object:



Our records tell us that it is a "New Guinea double figure." I tried to track down similar objects on the internet but wasn't particularly successful. Some objects from the Sepik River region have similar design, but no large flat carvings in this manner.

This week's Whatzit is a reversal of the normal. I don't know what this object is (currently it's going by the name "carving") or what its purpose originally was, but I have this feeling that it should be something relatively easy to find out. Good old google has not been particularly forthcoming, so I was hoping some one out in internet-land might have an insight.

Whatzit: February 15, 2008

This week we have the section of... something... for you to take a look at and try to guess what the full sized object is.


(click to see a larger version)

This is an object about which I will have a lot to say come Tuesday or Wednesday when I post the answer. Until then, good luck guessing!

Answer 8-156

Last Friday's Whatzit was correctly identified by Allyson! It is a parfleche.



Parfleches were used to carry many things including foodstuffs and clothing. They are often decorated in bright colors and the designs are sometimes maps (according to one online source I read). I think of parfleches as the pre-runner to backpacks and suitcases. I'm not sure how apt that analogy is, but these objects certainly seem to be useful.

The parfleche is made of leather or hide which has long since stiffened and dried out, making it impossible to unfold it and use it as it was originally intended without causing significant and irreversible damage to it.

Whatzit: February 1, 2008

You know the drill - photo of a small portion of a larger object. Guess what the larger object might be. (click to see a larger version)



Clue: This object is a container.

The full image and the answer will be revealed on Tuesday!

Answer

Just a quick answer to last Friday's Whatzit, because a long weekend means a short week with as much to do as usual!



It's a face carved out of a coconut. The top of the head is removable and the inside is hollowed out, so it's also a container. "Aloha Hawaii" is carved on the back. I believe we have two more similar objects in the collection!

Whatzit

Okay folks, you know the drill. Small portion of larger object shown. What's the larger object?



No clues, but I hope you guess. I think this is a fun one.

The Return of Answers

Last Friday's mystery image garnered three guesses, all of which were in the right area. Bowl, Southwest pottery, pottery jug.

This is a small Acoma bowl. We have several small Acoma pottery pieces. Acoma pottery is associated with the Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico, thought to be the longest continuously habitated place in the United States. The original collector tended to collect objects as art pieces, so we lack information regarding the age and history of this vessel.

The Return of Friday Whatzit

Great googly moogly! It's Friday already. Where has the week gone?

I've spent this week wrangling schedules, fighting with my email, and cataloging whistles and miniature totem poles. We're definitely getting back into the swing of things around here.

But here's the Friday Whatzit for the week. I'm continuing with the "small portion of a photo" version of our game. I'm not feeling particularly generous, so no clues this week.



So what do you think?

Flickr

Well, like the good folks at the IMA, I've gone revolutionary. That is to say, I've signed up this museum-in-development for Flickr and joined the dozens of museums using the photo-hosting site to host photos and potentially invite community involvement.

www.flickr.com More of CWU Museum's photos

At the moment, it's just an account under the name "cwumuseum", but in the future we could easily create a group or groups for special events, the museum in general, or anything we cared to. In the meantime, the images are mostly past Whatzits.

Dance Shield, 3-342

Last week I asked you what this might be a part of:


Guesses included a shield, a spirit board, and two guesses of a mask. Shield is the closest guess. (click on image for a larger version)


According to the accession information, corroborated with some google searching, this object is a dance shield or dance paddle from the Trobriand Islands. The ethnologist I referred to was Bronislaw Malinowski, whose name I enjoy pronouncing.

The shields (we actually have two such objects in the collection) are beautiful but fragile. The pigments, especially the white, are not secure. Just taking the photos I took for these posts resulted in white pigment left on the dark background, just under the weight of the object itself. Until such time as we can consider professional conservation treatment, all who might handle these objects must be extremely careful and consider the implications setting it down on a table may have for the pigment.

Are you ready for your close up?

I liked last week's version of Whatzit, so I'm going to keep that up until I hear objections. Here's a small part of a larger object for you to mull over this weekend:



What kind of clues can I give you? The base material is wood. And certain famous ethnologists (famous, I suppose, if you majored in anthropology (which I did)) did work in the area this object is from.

Happy weekend!

Bentwood Box, 3-311

Ding ding ding! Larissa is on a roll with two in a row correct. This past week's Whatzit gave you this tiny image:



And asked you to guess what the larger object was. Larissa guessed that it was a bentwood box.



This box is from the Northwest Coast and the motif appears to be a beaver. There are small shells that decorate the corners of the lid. Although the paint appears to have been "touched up" at some point in the past (obscuring original materials and possibly original colors), the box is still a treasure.