Cedar boxes are a particular type of wooden boxes used as storage supplies in prehistoric and historic times by Northwest Coast Native Americans. These boxes were made of western red cedar wood, steaming and bending single cedar planks and then sewing it to a bottom part. The surface and interior were made waterproof and water was boiled within these boxes by throwing in hot stones.
Cedar boxes were primarily containers for stored food, because of their resistance against decay and termites. But they were also used as coffins as early as 1900 BC. For archaeologists working in the Northwest Coast, the appearance of these boxes in the archaeological record is an important temporal marker similar to the appearance of pottery in other regions of the world.
In historic times, cedar boxes were elaborately carved and decorated with composed animal and human motifs. Sometimes, these boxes had handles carved in animal shape. An example of red cedar box handle comes from the wet site of Lachane, on Prince Rupert Harbor and dates to the Middle Pacific Period. A complete cedar box was also recovered at Ozette.
Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to Northwest Coast, and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Ames Kenneth M. and Herbert D.G. Maschner, 1999, Peoples of the Northwest Coast. Their Archaeology and Prehistory, Thames and Hudson, London