Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Cultural Services

Item's Choctaw Name: 

Item's English Name: Bread Tray

Age:  early 1900s?

Material: Thick-grained softwood, possibly alder or cottonwood

Dimensions:

Height = 10.4 cm

Width = 46.5 cm

Length = 58.8 cm

Rim Thickness = roughly 2.5 cm

Origin: Atoka County, OK

Current Owner: Atoka Confederate War Museum 

Location: Atoka, OK

Contact: (405) 521-2491

Notes - Wooden trays like this were common Choctaw kitchen items.  They are said to have been used for mixing dough, and likely also functioned as serving platters upon occasion.  This piece was cut out in such a way that its long axis was parallel to the tree trunk; its base came from the outer portion of the tree.  This piece was made using metal tools, as evidenced by the wraps marks on its exterior.  Such marks are absent on its interior, where it appears to have been carefully smoothed and sanded. 

Item's Choctaw Name: 

Item's English Name:  Bread Tray

Age: 1850's

Material: Soft light weight wood,

Dimensions: Handle-to-handle Length 57.5cm, Bowl Length 51cm, Bowl Width 33.8cm, Height 8.8cm, Handle width 5.1cm, Handle length 3.2 cm, Thickness 1.2cm.

Origin: 018897.000

Current Owner:  NMAI

Location: Smithsonian Cultural Resource Center

Contact:

Notes: Bowl gets thicker towards the base. Made from a section of tree, longitudenly. Outer section of tree forms base of the bowl. Bowl shows evidence of chopping marks, rasp marks, and sanding marks.