Roger and Donna King weren't quite sure what to make of the yard-long wood object that had passed through the generations of the longtime Kodiak family. But they knew who to ask: Sven Haakanson Jr., former director of the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak and now a curator at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. So they flew to Seattle with the piece and showed it to him.
Haakanson, who has traveled the world researching Alutiiq artifacts, identified it as a quiver and exceptionally unusual. Quivers are rare in historical collections, he noted, and the square shape of this one made it even more remarkable. In all his years of research, Haakanson had only seen one other.
At his urging, the Kings donated the quiver and an arrow that accompanied it to the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak. Both are in storage until a suitable display case can be constructed, said Marnie Leist, the museum's curator of collections. "We are planning an update to our subsistence exhibit and this would be a great addition," she said. "But a large piece like this, it needs a specially fabricated case to protect it."
Traditionally, quivers were made in assorted shapes and sizes depending on what size arrow or dart they were intended to carry. Weapons had specific designs and weights for hunting different kinds of game, from small birds to large sea mammals.
The quiver in question was created from a single piece of red cedar, Haakanson said. The wood construction meant it would readily float, an important feature for men who did much of their hunting at sea.
Roger King obtained the quiver from his late nephew, Walter (Vo) King, who received it from his father, Alexander King. But it predates either of them, dating from some time in the 1800s.
Arrows and spears were universally used by Native hunters early in the century, but gave way to guns later in the Russian colonial era. But an article in the Alaska Herald, a San Francisco-based newspaper that began publication shortly after America purchased the territory, states many Aleuts returned to bows and arrows to harvest furs sold to traders after the U.S. Army banned sale or barter of firearms to Natives. Older hunters switched back without much difficulty, the newspaper said, and were instructing a younger generation on how to make and use the traditional technology.
Haakanson found the construction of this quiver as intriguing as the design. The exterior was first carved to shape, then the piece was split in half, allowing the maker to hollow out the interior of each half. The two pieces were then lashed back together.
"Our carvers are just starting to relearn how to make such quivers," Haakanson said. "Thanks to access to this piece, carvers on Kodiak will be able to study in detail the craft-work of our ancestors and bring this tradition to life once again."