mold, ninaatgwaaboo maple sugar

mold, ninaatgwaaboo maple sugar

mold, ninaatgwaaboo maple sugar

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Introduction

This ancestor is a maple sugar mold made from wood. Long and narrow in shape, this ancestor has five carved cavaties in a row. These molds have square shaped floral motifs, as well as one mold of a turtle, and one as eagle or sparrow hawk (American Kestrel). Engraved on the back of this mold is "Cross Village, April [2?] 17.18, [above 7.1: An? undecipherable]". This relative is currently located in the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Nation of Maker: Odawa
Place of Origin: Michigan, USA
Date Made or Date Range: 1850s
Seasonal time
Anishinaabe: Biboon (In the wintertime)
Anishinaabe: Ziigwan (In the early spring)
English: Winter
English: Spring
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

Information for this record comes from the Detroit Institute of Arts Catalogue.

Materials

Wood

Techniques or Format

Long, narrow rectangle with five carved cavities in one face, arranged in a row.

Motifs and Patterns

Four rectangular forms with floral motifs carved in the bottom; one turtle form in a displayed posture; one bird with outstretched wings - probably an eagle or sparrow hawk. Engraved on back: Cross Village, April 17 18

The Sparrow Hawk may refer to what is now more commonly known as the American Kestrel.

Other Notes

Cross Village has sparrow hawk dodem. Turtle may also be a dodemic motif.

Dimensions: 21.75 × 3 × 1.25 in
Current Location: Detroit Institute of Arts, MI, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 81.141
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://dia.org/collection/maple-sugar-mold-56239
Collection at Current Location: Mary B. Shurtleff Collection
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1981
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Richard A. Pohrt
Collection Narratives and Histories

Mary B. Shurtleff (Cross Village, Michigan, USA)

purchased by Richard A. Pohrt [1911-2005] (Flint, Michigan, USA)

1981-present, purchased 1981 by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

Publication History

The Art of the Great Lakes Indians. Exhibition catalogue, Flint Institute of Arts. Flint, MI, 1973, no. 352.

GKS Reference Number: 25693
Record Creation Context

Record augmented by Natasha Fares on February 18th, 2024. The photographs were removed by Natasha Fares on February 18th, 2024 to respect an agreement between the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Michigan Anishinaabeg Communities of Practice group.

Approximate Place of Origin

45.642039939299, -85.037852134873

Source of Information about Places

The location of Cross Village is written on the mold. The Shurtleffs operated a trading post in Cross Village, Michigan.

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