This is a Bird Formline Bentwood Canoe Box carved and painted by Bruce Alfred from the Kwakwakawakw or Kwakiutl Nation.

The box is carved from red cedar and was designed so that it wouldfit into the front or back of a Northwest Coast Canoe. The sides are carved out of one cedar board and then bent in three corners and doweled together at both ends to make it watertight. The bottom is also doweled to the sides and sealed. The top is attached with a leather string.

If the canoe would tip and the box fell into the water, the contents of the box would be secure, since nothing could fall outand the box itself would float to the surface of the water and could be easily recovered.

The box including the top is up to about 12 inchesor 32 centimeterswide, 9 inchesor23centimetershigh and 9 inches or 24 centimeters deep.