Materials

Smoked, tanned moosehide; metal cones; moosehair, red; porcupine quill, orange/red, gold, black; ochre; blue beads; cotton thread; possibly tendon.

Techniques or Format

Center seam construction, band of zigzag quill stitch over seam. Heavy folds of gathers over toes. A line of oversewn stitch quill then a line of blue beads borders the zigzag band.

Heel seam is covered by a band of zigzag quill,bordered by a line of oversewn quill. Heel seam ends with a tab that extends, not a T seam.

Construction: all one piece.

Motifs and Patterns

Cuffs: four registers separated by lines of blue beads.

Top register: band of red ochre with wavy line of blue beads.

Second register:band of zigzag quill in burgundy, black, white, gold.

Third register: white quill wrapped around what looks like vegetable fibre in a line of connected circular loops, filled in with ochre.

Fourth register: band of zigzag quill, in burgundy and gold.

Condition: Good. Hide is still supple, the beads are almost intact, as is the quill and the ochre.

Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Autumn Epple believes based on style and materials that they date between 1700 and 1760.

Current Location: Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Paris, France

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 71.1909.19.8.1-2

Collection Narratives and Histories

The Musée de la Marine originated in the seventeenth century as a collection of models of French ships, within the tradition of cabinets of curiosity and also with a teaching purpose for engineers and builders. A description of the models in the collection in 1756 included bark canoes from Canada. In 1827 Charles X initiated the Musée de la Marine at the Louvre. Sailors, officers, and scientists of the French Marine, who sailed to all parts of the world, continued to bring back objects found in their travels to give to the King. Nineteenth century descriptions of the model collection describe ethnographic works located with it. These works were later transferred to the Musée d’archeologie nationale at the Château St. Jean Marlay. In 1909 they were moved to the Musée d'ethnographie du Trocadéro. From there they went to the Musée de l’Homme (Amérique) and then to the Musée du quai Branly. Given the early beginnings of the collection of the Musée de la Marine, ethnographic works from this collection could date from a very early time of French presence in North America.

Related language items in the GKS: mkizin

GKS Reference Number: 1219

How to Cite this Item

Unknown artist, moccasins. Currently in the Musée du quai Branly, 71.1909.19.8.1-2. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip; GRASAC item id 1219.

Record Creation Context

This record was created by Anne de Stecher during an RAship for Prof. Ruth Phillips.

Copyright

This record will be open access on the completion of

Anne de Stecher's dissertation, 2011.