mkak, box, birchbark

mkak, box, birchbark

mkak, box, birchbark

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Introduction

This Anishinaabe mkak (box) is made from birchbark with a floral decoration made from quillwork. 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 as "Chippewa" (Ojibwe) in Gottschall's catalogue.

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

birchbark; porcupine quills natural and dyed green, orange, pink, yellow, and natural; sweetgrass; black thread.

Motifs and Patterns

The quillwork on the lid forms two large 8-petaled flowers.

Dimensions: 16.1 × 10.5 × 7 cm
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

These dates are based on Gottschall's collecting activities.

Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 97-84-162A (box); 97-84-162B (box lid); L-84-162A-B (old museum numbers); 18006 (ANS number); I 1680 (Gottschall number)
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/295966
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

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 (possibly May of 1914). ANS formally gifted the collection to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1997, where it currently resides.

GKS Reference Number: 24888
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Mkak, box, birchbark. GRASAC ID 24888. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 97-84-162A & 97-84-162B.

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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