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Object Number
17-16-10/87069
Display Title
Eel trap
Descriptions
Object Description
A Wampanoag artist constructed this narrow-necked eel trap using flat wood strips and plant fiber strips in the late nineteenth century. When the trap is submerged, eels swim into the trap attracted by bait but because of the shape, they cannot find their way out. Eels have long been a mainstay of the Wampanoag diet, and documents indicate that eels were possibly served at the “First Thanksgiving.”
Inventory Description
Eel trap, cylindrical, wood slats bound w/ fiber, lid at one end, perf. basket i
Classification
- Trap
Department
Ethnographic
Date
late 19th Century
Culture
- Algonquian
- Mashpee
Geography/Provenience/Site Name
North America
/
United States
/
Massachusetts
/
Barnstable County
/
Barnstable
Materials
Wood, Vegetable fiber
Dimensions
Overall: 116.5 x 24 x 24 cm (45 7/8 x 9 7/16 x 9 7/16 in.)
Quantity
1
Label on object
87069
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. Lombard C. Jones, 1917
Provenance
Collector
Dr. Lombard C. Jones
(1892)
Donor
Dr. Lombard C. Jones
(1917)
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| PrimaryMedia | Object Number | Title | Classification | Geography/Provenience | SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34-7-10/100530.1.72 | Man holding eels ready to dry in the sun |
Eskasoni
| ||
| 34-7-10/100530.1.74 | Joe Gould with catch of eels |
Eskasoni
| ||
| 34-7-10/100530.1.73 | Eels hung to dry in the sun |
Eskasoni
| ||
| 08-4-10/73251 | Basket for carrying eels |
Basket
Raw Material |
California
| |
| 2018.18.36 | Plaited splint eel trap |
Trap
|
United States
| |
| 35-36-60/1912 | Bait container for eel trap (1911) |
Basket
|
Thailand
| |
| 08-36-70/74115 | Eel trap, bailt, live crab in little basket at small end of trap |
Trap
|
Eastern Lepanto
Northern Nueva Vizcaya | |
| 2004.24.32469 | Joe Gould with catch of eels |
Cape Breton Island
| ||
| 2004.24.32468 | Eels hung to dry in sun |
Cape Breton Island
| ||
| 2004.24.32467 | Man holding eels, ready to dry in sun |
Cape Breton Island
| ||
| 08-36-70/74156 | Fishing line and hook for eels |
Fishhook
|
Eastern Lepanto
Northern Nueva Vizcaya | |
| 08-36-70/74158 | Fishing line and hook for eels |
Fishhook
|
Eastern Lepanto
Northern Nueva Vizcaya |