Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MONITOR STONE PIPE

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

STONE, LEAD, COTTON

No. Pieces

2

Height

10.2

Length

48.9

Diameter

1.6

Description

PIPE MADE OF BLACK PIPE STONE INLAID WITH LEAD AND MINNESOTA RED PIPE STONE. PIPE IS MONITOR STYLE WITH MENDED FRACTURE INDICATING FRONT PART OF PIPE BROKEN AT ONE TIME. STEM WRAPPED WITH COLOURED THREAD, RED, BLUE, ORANGE IN GEOMETRIC DESIGNS. STEM ALSO WRAPPED WITH GREEN RIBBON, RED DYED HORSE HAIR AND SINEW. INLAID STONE PIPE IN TWO PARTS MAN WHO SMOKES, PEIGAN RESERVE, BROCKET, ALTA STONE PIPE HAS 2 CHIPS AND SCUFFS. PIPE STEM CRACKED AND BRITTLE.

Subjects

CEREMONIAL ARTIFACT

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

ETHNOGRAPHIC

History

NORTHERN PLAINS CULTURE. BLACKFOOT CULTURE USUALLY USE PLATFORM STYLE PIPES, NOT MONITOR STYLE. INFORMATION REPORT ON FILE RECORDED BY JACK ELLIOTT. *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON ASKED TWO FORMER MEMBERS OF THE LETHBRIDGE JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, PHIL EDMUNDSON AND PAUL RUSZNAK, ABOUT THE FIRST NATIONS ARTIFACTS THAT THE GROUP DONATED TO THE GALT MUSEUM IN 1964, 1969, AND 1973. NEITHER RECALLED HOW THE JAYCEES CAME INTO OWNERSHIP OF THE ARTIFACTS, AS THEIR ACQUISITION PREDATED BOTH EDMUNDSON AND RUSZNAK’S MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHAMBER. RESEARCH CONDUCTED INTO LETHBRIDGE’S GURNEY MUSEUM FOUND A CONNECTION BETWEEN ITS PROPRIETOR, WALTER GURNEY, AND THE JAYCEES, WHO ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE FROM THE APRIL 16, 1946 ISSUE OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD ADVOCATED ON GURNEY’S BEHALF FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE TO THE FORMER BOARD OF TRADE BUILDING WHERE THE MUSEUM WAS HOUSED. AN ARTICLE FROM THE JULY 13, 1948 ISSUE OF THE HERALD DESCRIBES SOME OF THE FIRST NATIONS ARTIFACTS ON DISPLAY IN THE MUSEUM: “TOMAHAWKS, ARROW HEADS, PEACE PIPES, BEAD AND LEATHER WORK, CLOTHING AND WOODCRAFT”. UPON THE CLOSURE OF THE MUSEUM AND SALE OF GURNEY’S COLLECTION TO BELMORE SCHULTZ OF THE ALTAMONT MUSEUM IN COUTTS, MENTION WAS MADE IN A HERALD ARTICLE FROM MAY 16, 1961 OF “HISTORICAL INDIAN RELICS THAT BELONG TO THE JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAVE BEEN RETAINED IN THE CITY AND WILL BE AVAILABLE WHEN PROPER DISPLAY FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE”. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE ARTIFACTS WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE JAYCEES BY GURNEY DURING THE DISSOLUTION OF HIS MUSEUM, BUT NO FURTHER CONFIRMATION WAS FOUND. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE GURNEY MUSEUM AND ITS COLLECTION, SEE RECORD P19890044001.

UPDATE 16 AUGUST 2017: ON 25 JULY 2017, MUSEUM CURATOR AIMEE BENOIT FOUND EVIDENCE TO CONNECT THE INDIGENOUS COLLECTION DONATED BY THE LETHBRIDGE JAYCEES (AKA. JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE) WITH FORMER LETHBRIDGE RESIDENTS THE LATE FRED BOTSFORD AND HIS LATE DAUGHTER DOROTHY CLARK. NOTES MADE BY AIMEE ON THE DISCOVERY AS WELL AS RELEVANT CLIPPINGS FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD CAN BE FOUND ATTACHED TO THE PERMANENT FILE OF P19641140000.

Catalogue Number

P19641175000

Acquisition Date

1964-07

Collection

Museum

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