2026/05/22 by Dengcheng Feng, Michael S. Turner, Ajay Limaye +1 · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Chemistry · Engineering · #Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis #Wood Treatment and Properties #Wood and Agarwood Research
paper · doi:10.1163/27723194-bja10036
openalex publication_date 2026/05/22 · openalex created_date 2026/05/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/24
Abstract The Nuu-chah-nulth people on Vancouver Island in British Columbia ( BC ) gave Captain James Cook a wooden club when his ship, HMS Resolution , was at anchor off Nootka Sound in 1778. The club passed through many hands before it was returned to BC in 2012 and housed at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC . This event was of immense significance to the Nuu-chah-nulth people who live in BC . The club was thought to be made of yew, a wood prized for its material properties and spiritual significance. However, scientific confirmation of the wood species used to make the club has not been carried out. The aim of this study was to identify, in a non-invasive way, the species of wood used to make the club and, secondly, to explore ways of integrating information on the wood’s identity and microstructure with more general knowledge of the club’s cultural significance, and of presenting such information to the general public. A thin sliver of wood was removed from a crack in the top of the club and examined using light and scanning electron microscopy ( SEM ), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis ( EDX ), and X-ray micro- CT . The sliver of wood possessed a combination of anatomical features suggesting that it was yew; for example, single helical thickenings on tracheid walls, cupressoid cross-field pits, and a lack of resin canals and ray tracheids. SEM – EDX detected pigment particles within the wood composed of Fe, Si and Al. X-ray micro- CT data and other information on the material properties of the club were integrated with more general knowledge of the club’s cultural significance and used to create an interactive touchscreen system. This system has received a favorable reception by staff at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC , and we anticipate that it will help young Indigenous people understand and reconnect with their culture.