The conservation of a Canadian Bella Coola dance costume is described. The costume represents the merganser duck: the head is painted carved wood and is mounted on a wood framework body covered with beige cotton fabric. Its conservation treatment, which involved repair of the fabric and frame, is outlined. It is emphasised that such items, prepared from easily available cheap materials, were not intended to be kept. Any conservation intervention can only hope to extend the object's life span a little. Diagrams.