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Bowl
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Fine wooden bowls were often used during feasts in the Northeastern Woodlands. The heads on the rims may represent spirit beings, perhaps the owner’s guardian spirits, acquired through dreams or visions—thought to be the ultimate sources of truth. The medium may also be profoundly meaningful. A Great Lakes (Meskwaki) Native said in 1911, “The murmur of the trees when the wind passes through is but the voices of our grandparents. Often a whole forest hums with talk . . . we often hear the sound of their laughter and the sound of their lamentations.”
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineBowl, early 1800s. Native North America, Northeastern Woodlands. Wood; overall: 9 x 20 x 14.6 cm (3 9/16 x 7 7/8 x 5 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1984.12
