The Story of the Stabbing Cat

Ben Witte had always said he wanted to find a “stabbing cat.” Though trained as a classical pianist, Ben was an avid amateur fossil hound and his holy grail was the skull of a saber-toothed cat. In the summer of 1963, he was looking forward to another trip to the rich fossil beds in the Badlands of South Dakota with his wife, Bev and a small party of friends. In those days, Bev was an artist, experienced in both commercial and fine art.

When the group arrived, Ben and a friend went off to search. At that time, you didn’t need a permit to search for (or cart off) fossils. Ben and his friend split up to examine either side of a rocky ridge. Nosing along, he noticed something protruding from the ridge that looked suspiciously like the two long canine teeth of a small cat.

“There they were,” recalls Bev, “just sticking out of the rock… the teeth of his stabbing cat.” Ben had been in such a hurry to get to the search that he didn’t even have a backpack with him. He and Bev returned with enough sacks to carry off “every bit of rock that looked like it might hold a bone.” It took over an hour and a half to gather it all, but when they did, they had enough to one of the most complete specimens of Hoplophoneus ever found at that time.

Hoplophoneus fossil

 

It took several years for Ben's discovery to be displayed at the Burke. Bev didn’t begin to volunteer at the museum until 1964 so before she was hired as a preparator in 1968, Hoplophoneus waited at home. The large concretionary hunks of stone in which the fossil was embedded had to be removed by sandblaster and small bits needed removal with a vibrating tool. When the fossils were cast, Bev made molds of the skull and pelvis and Camille Evans and Steve Nelson helped with the rest of the bones. For assembly, the team relied on books describing cat anatomy, as well as in-house training provided by the museum. A placement challenge was a strange long, thin piece that turned out to be a piece of the clavicle. Later, they heard from well-known paleontologist Robert Bakker that the arms should have been placed elbows slightly out, given the arboreal nature of the animal. “We always meant to reposition those arms,” said Bev, “but never got around to it.”

But the biggest obstacle was Ben’s attachment to the skull. Even though he and Bev had already generously donated two brontothere mandibles they had collected, he was loath to part with this iconic piece of his fabulous find, his “stabbing cat.” Now his “stabbing cat” is on display for all to enjoy.

About Bev Witte: Married to Ben Witte, Bev worked for the Burke as a preparator from 1968 till her retirement in 1998. She said she got the job because she had already learned how to use the preparation as a volunteer. After retirement she volunteered two days a week at the Burke for many years, only recently cutting back to one.

Bev Witte with fossils at the Burke Museum

Submitted by: Peg Boettcher, Communications

We thank Bev Witte for her time, patience, and wonderful story.

"What is that?" A series on the outdoor artwork at the Burke, Part 2

This post is the second in a series about the artwork surrounding the outside of the Burke Museum (read the first post, about Mark Calderon’s Pluma sculpture here). In this post, we explore the answer to the commonly asked question: What is that tall female figure just outside the front doors of the Burke?

This Dzunuk'wa figure stands in front of the Burke Museum. Photo by Steve Whiston.

This is a carving of a Dzunuk'wa figure, a supernatural creature with importance to the Kwakwaka’wakw people. This replica was carved for the Burke Museum in 1970 by Curator Emeritus, Bill Holm.

Some people equate Dzunuk'wa, (pronounced D’ZOO-no-kwa) with Sasquatch, sometimes called Bigfoot, the shy hairy giant of the forest. Others view her as a fearsome creature that can be the source of great wealth. The privilege of representing Dzunuk'wa in carving and performance is a prized heritage of some Kwakwaka'wakw chiefs (the Kwakwaka'wakw people live on northern Vancouver Island and the adjacent mainland of British Columbia).

The pole outside the museum is a replica of the original (pictured at right in a 1914 photo by Edward Curtis), which was erected in Gwa'yasdam's village on Gilford Island, B.C in the early 19th century. This kind of pole is sometimes called a "ridicule pole" and these poles were raised to shame someone who owed a debt to a chief. For three years, this original Dzunuk'wa figure faced down the beach toward the owner's in-laws, who had not paid a marriage debt. When the in-laws honored the debt, the pole was pivoted to face the water. To acknowledge the payment of the debt, the owner had carvings of shield-shaped coppers added to her head and hands, to represent wealth.

Bill Holm initially painted the Dzunuk'wa figure’s entire body black, based on the black and white historical photos that he was using for reference. But based on later analysis of Emily Carr's colored image, Holm has come to believe the body of the original sculpture was painted red. The replica was changed from black to red in 2002, when it was placed outside the Burke. The head of the original sculpture is also in the Burke Museum's ethnology collections.

Posted by: MaryAnn Barron Wagner, Communications

"What is that?" A series on the outdoor artwork at the Burke, Part 1

One frequently asked question at the Burke Museum is: “What is that large leaf-like sculpture outside on the east lawn of the museum?” Well, it’s a cast bronze sculpture called Pluma by Seattle artist Mark Calderon.

What is it doing in front of the Burke Museum? In 1999, Pluma was gifted to the Burke Museum by The Committee of 33, a civic group dedicated to the enhancement and beautification of the City of Seattle. The Committee of 33 commissioned Calderon, whose sculptures often find influence in nature, to create a piece for the front lawn of the museum.


Calderon wanted to create a sculpture that reflected the Burke’s role as a museum of natural and anthropological history. Before sketching designs, he studied the museum’s collections as well as books on shells, plants, and fossils. “I inundated myself with images to expand my knowledge of natural history, the Burke Museum, and its mission,” he explained. The result was Pluma, a half-ton bronze sculpture that resembles an undulating leaf.

Pluma has welcomed visitors to the museum for the past decade and is among many beautiful outdoor art installations on the UW campus. Keep reading the Burke Blog to learn more about the outdoor artwork at the Burke Museum!

Posted by: MaryAnn Barron Wagner, Communications