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Bag, finger woven
Bag, finger woven
Bag, finger woven
This relative, a finger woven bag, has the figure of three thunderbirds on one side and underwater panther imagery on the other. Composed of nettlestalk fibre, black animal hair, and two ply wool yarn coloured red, yellow, and brown, it is likely that the top bands were woven separately and sewn into the outside. Collected by British Army officer Jasper Grant between 1800 and 1809, the origins of the bag are not certain; however, it has probable connections to the Anishinaabe.
This relative currently resides at the National Museum of Ireland.
Anishinaabe
This information was informed by the following resource: Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, On.: Patterns of Power, 1984.
Read More About This Relative
Nettlestalk fibre; black animal hair; two ply wool yarn, red,yellow; brown pigment (may have faded from red)
Note by Nicholas Stolle: The horizontal stripes on the two sides were applied with paint, probably originally red. The same pigment was painted between the black contours of the design motifs. The top bands are separately woven and sewn to the outside which is unusual, more often they are woven continuously
This record draws on images and information recorded in Ruth Phillips's book, Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, On.: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984.
Provenance
Jasper Grant (1762-1812), Anglo-Irish officer who spent 9 years in Canada between 1800-1809. Served as commandant of Fort George in the Niagara Peninsula and of Fort Malden at Amherstburg opposite Detroit. It is likely that his wife, Isabella Grant, played a significant role in the collection of items given her close relationship to Madeline Askin Richardson, the daughter of a prominent fur trader and merchant with extensive ties to the surrounding Indigenous communities.
GRASAC research notes.
In 1984-1985 the Jasper Grant Collection was featured in a special travelling exhibition for the Ontario bicentennial, which was organized by the McMichael Canadian Collection and entitled "Patterns of Power."
Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg,On.: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984.
Philips, Ruth B. (1986-87). “Jasper Grant and Edward Walsh: the Gentleman-Soldier as Early Collector of Great Lakes Indian Art.” Journal of Canadian Studies 21(4): 56-71.
About This GRASAC Record
Maker, Name unrecorded. Bag, woven. GRASAC ID 25372. National Museum of Ireland Collection, 1902.328.
This record has been augmented by Dana Murray on July 28, 2024. It draws on images and information recorded in Ruth Phillips's book, Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, On.: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984, and notes from GRASAC research trip to the National Museum of Ireland on July 22, 2010. Participants included Alan Corbiere, Ruth Phillips, Crystal Migwans, Nicholas Stolle, who were assisted by Padraig Clancy and Emma Crosby.
42.107, -83.1132
This information was informed by the following resource: Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, On.: Patterns of Power, 1984. Fort Walden is identified on the map as a possible origin for this relative, but this reflects only one place where the relative may have lived. It is not a known place of origin; it is only one location associated with where the collector, Jasper Grant, served in the British Army.