Royal British Columbia Museum
DgRw4:2976
Royal British Columbia Museum
DgRx-Y:8
Royal British Columbia Museum
DgRw4: 2342
Object: adze blade
Use: for working wood, stone and bone
Era: approximately 2000 years old
Materials: nephrite
Size/ Dimensions: length: 49 millimetres (1.9 inches) width: 35 millimetres (1.4 inches) thickness: 13 millimetres (0.5 inches)
Excavation site: DgRw4, False Narrows Midden, Gabriola Island, B.C.
Current Location/Museum: Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, Canada
Accession Number: DgRw4:2976
Display Technique: is in storage
Condition: good
Object: maul
Use: for hammering
Era: 500 to 1500 years old
Materials: unknown
Size/ Dimensions: length: 167 millimetres (6.6 inches) thickness through the top: 68 millimetres (2.7 inches) thickness through the base: 87 millimetres (3.4 inches)
Excavation site: DgRx-Y:8 Nanaimo District
Current Location/Museum: Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, Canada
Accession Number: DgRx-Y:8
Display Technique: is in storage
Condition: good
Object: wedge
Use: for splitting off pieces of wood
Era: approximately 2000 years old
Materials: Roosevelt Elk antler
Size/ Dimensions: length: 274 millimetres (10.8 inches) width: 75 millimetres (3 inches) thickness: 52 millimetres (2 inches)
Excavation site: DgRw4, False Narrows Midden, Gabriola Island, B.C.
Current Location/Museum: Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, Canada
Accession Number: DgRw4: 2342
Display Technique: is in storage
Condition: fair, some possible decomposition
Three of the most common woodworking tools used by the ancestors of the Snuneymuxw First Nation were the adze, the maul and the wedge. They have been referred to as the triad of woodworking tools. These tools were used together to fashion planks and beams for housing, canoes for transportation, household items such as bowls and spoons, and ceremonial items such as masks to name a few.
Adzes are sharp blades, attached to various shaped handles. Adzes are used to cut and work wood. Mauls are hand-held hammers made of stone. Wedges are driven into cracks in logs and planks, to help split and pry off pieces of wood.
