Materials

beaver; blackened hide; porcupine quills, dyed red, blue and black; sinew

Techniques or Format

A beaver skin, with limbs and head intact, is decorated on its tail, one front paw and one back paw, with blackened hide decorated with quillwork. There is an opening under the beaver's neck.

Motifs and Patterns

Quillwork: zig zags, circles, parallel lines.

Original and Subsequent Uses

As Vigorelli states in his catalogue " borse da medicina di questo tipo erano diffuse fra molte popolazioni dell'Upper Missippi. Questa potrebbe essere la borsa di medicina di un membro della Midewiwin (Grande Societa'' della Medicina) Chippewa. Era destinata a contenere erbe medicinali e oggetti a cui veniva attribita inflenza spirituale e potere benefico. per il suo uso e valore rituale questo genere di manufatti era spesso dcorato con grande finezza" (p. 63). [Medicine bags of this type were common among many populations of the Upper Mississippi. This could be the medicine pouch of a member of Midewiwin (Great Society of Medicine) Chippewa. It was made to contain herbs and objects were understood to have spiritual attributes and beneficial power. For its use and value this kind of ritual artifact was often decorated with great finesse]

Dimensions: 61 × 0 × 0 cm

Condition: Poor
As Vigorelli wrote: "una infestazione da parassiti ha distrutto il manto peloso" [a parasitic infection destroyed the coat]

Current Location: Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali, Bergamo, Italy

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: grasac_1374

Collection at Current Location: Collezione Beltrami

Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1850s

Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: The Civic Library of Bergamo

Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: 1823

Collection Narratives and Histories

Collected by G.C. Beltrami from Wisconsin in 1823. Beltrami's collection catalogue states that around 1856, Beltrami's nephew donated several objects to the Civic Library of Bergamo, which were later transferred to the Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali.

Exhibition History

The Beltrami Collection was exhibited in Florence in 1929 during the "Prima Esposizione Nazionale di Storia delle Scienze" (First National Exposition of History of Sciences"). In 1973, during a celebration of the Beltrami exhibit, Glauco Luchetti donated three objects from his own collection, which were located in Beltrami's last house in Filottrano, to the "Museo Civico E. Caffi". In 1987 the collection was used in the exhibit entitled "Missisippi 1823. Oggetti indiani raccolti da G. Costantino Beltrami" in the Galleria Lorenzelli in Bergamo. In 1988, this object was in the exhibit "The Spirit Sings", Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta.In 1988 this drum was loaned for the exhibit "The Spirit Sings", Glanbow Museum, Alberta.

Publication History

Beltrami Collection Catalogue, p. 63.
Vigorelli, Gli Oggetti indiani raccolti da G.Costantino Beltrami.

Sources to Learn More

Leonardo Vigorelli, Gli Oggetti indiani raccolti da G.Costantino Beltrami, Civico Museo E. Caffi, Bergamo, 1987.

GKS Reference Number: 24769

Record Creation Context

This record was created by Emanuela Rossi after a trip funded by GRASAC to the Museo Civico E. Caffi in Bergamo, Italy in October 2008.

Record Creation Notes/Observations

Researcher present: Emanuela Rossi