mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass

mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass

mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass

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Introduction

This Anishinaabe mkak (box/container) is made from birchbark and sweetgrass. It was collected in Northern Michigan by Amos H. Gottschall between 1871 and 1905. His collection was likely left to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANS) sometime before 1937. ANS formally gifted the collection to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1997, where it currently resides. 

Name of Maker(s): Unrecorded
Maker role: Artist
Nation of Maker: Anishinaabe Ojibwe
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

The mkak is described in the catalogue as "Chippewa" (Ojibwe).

Place of Origin: Michigan (Northern Michigan), USA
Date Made or Date Range: before 1905
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

The information in this record is based on museum documentation.

Materials

second growth birch bark; sweetgrass; black thread; porcupine quills (green); basswood or cedar

Techniques or Format

Made of birchbark. The edges are joined together with bunches of sweetgrass attached to the edges with black thread. There are two tacks done in dyed green porcupine quills. Tassels made of basswood or cedar are attached to the lid with a twisted twine, with a side latch for closure that appears to have lost a tassel. The braided handle looks to be made of the same material as the tassel. It is tacked on to the container with a loop.

Motifs and Patterns

A birchbark container decorated with sweetgrass and basswood or cedar tassels.

Dimensions: 10 × 10 × 7 cm
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Gottschall collected between 1871 and 1905.

Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 97-84-67 (museum number); L-84-67 (old museum number); 18010 (ANS number); II 280 (Gottschall number)
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/75564
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1997
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Gift of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1997
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: 1871 to 1905
Collection Narratives and Histories

This relative was collected in Northern Michigan by Amos H. Gottschall between 1871 and 1905. His collection was likely left to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANS) sometime before 1937. ANS formally gifted the collection to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1997, where it currently resides.

Publication History

Gottschall, Amos H. Priced and Descriptive Catalogue of the Utensils, Implements, Weapons, Ornaments, Etc., of the Indians, Mound Builders, Cliff Dwellers: Typical Collections No. 2. 1909. (See: II 280)

GKS Reference Number: 24827
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass. GRASAC ID 24827. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 97-84-67.

Record Creation Context

Visit to University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, May 6 2010.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on August 13, 2024.

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