breechcloth

breechcloth

breechcloth

top image
Introduction

Odawa, navy blue cloth breechcloth, with seed beads in a symmetrical floral and star motifs. Collected by Albert G. Heath in Michigan in 1918.

Nation of Maker: Odawa
Nation of Origin

Odawa: ''AMcM and CW are inclined to think that this piece is Potawatomi or influenced by Potawatomi due to white outlining, color selection, type of motifs, and stitiching/contouring inside elements.

Date Made or Date Range: 1900s to 1918
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

NMAI records and physical examination by Cory Willmott and Ann McMullen, July 2007.

Materials

Navy blue saved list cloth (1 inch list), size 11 glass seed beads (white, medium green, turquoise, clear dusty rose, clear red, navy, greasy yellow, clear medium green), thin pasteboard/cardboard (commercial, has colors and some printing, mostly washed out)

Techniques or Format

Single piece of cloth with list visible on both ends; beaded design on only one side. On front, outline of design lightly marked with whitish/tannish material (flour paste?); beadwork backed (on opposite side of cloth) with

Motifs and Patterns

Design symmetrical from vertical center, consistes of discrete design elements linked by white lines; there are three rather elaborate motifs on center spine and four slightly simpler motifs on either side.

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

NMAI records from acquisition

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 087180.000
Collection at Current Location: Heath Collection
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1/1/1955
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Collected
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: ca. 1918
Collection Narratives and Histories

Heath, Albert G.; Collected. Albert Heath was a Chicago area artifact collector who also maintained a second home at Cross Village, Michigan, where he became vitally interested in Odawa people and collected a number of objects.

GKS Reference Number: 25135
Record Creation Notes/Observations

This record was created on site at NMAI by the GRASAC members listed below. Ann McMullen and Pat Nietfeld of NMAI supported the research onsite. Cory Willmott's research was funded by a grant from the American Philosophical Society. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provided Cory with an RA, Ceara Horsley, in Fall 2008 to work on GRASAC data entry. (CH)

Approximate Place of Origin

45.6426, -85.036

Source of Information about Places

Michigan, USA