mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass

mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass

mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass

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Introduction

This Anishinaabe mkak (box) is made from wiigwaas (birchbark) and bound with sweetgrass, with a star design made from kaawyikewin (quillwork). It was likely collected by Samuel W. Pennypacker II (1911-1968) who was student under anthropologist, Frank G. Speck. Pennypacker bequested the mkak to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1969, where it currently resides. 

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

It is listed as "Ojibwe" on the catalogue card.

Date Made or Date Range: Before 1969
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

The information in this record is based on museum documentation.

Materials

birchbark; sweetgrass; black thread, faded to green in some areas; beige thread; cattail or similar material; porcupine quills natural and possibly purple, but now faded.

Techniques or Format

Made from two different kinds of birchbark, one used on the inside and one on the outside. Sweetgrass is wrapped in black thread, around the lid top to create the sides of the lid. A single line of quills have been added into the sweetgrass bunches framing the top of the lid.

Motifs and Patterns

The kaawyikewin is done in leaf motifs on the sides and a five-pointed star on the top of the lid.

Dimensions: 11.3 × 11.3 × 13.5 cm
Condition: Large amounts of the kaawyikewin design on the sides have deteriorated.
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Left in bequest in 1969

Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 70-9-59.1 (box); 70-9-59.2 (box lid); 312 (other number)
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/563661
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1969
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Bequest of Samuel Pennypacker, 1970
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: Before 1969
Collection Narratives and Histories

During his time as his student, Samuel Pennypacker collected for Frank Speck. This mkak was left as a bequest by Pennypacker to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1969, following his death the year prior.

GKS Reference Number: 26225
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass. GRASAC ID 26225. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 70-9-59.1 & 70-9-59.2.

Record Creation Context

This information was gathered during a research visit to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, May 6, 2010. The researchers present were: Adriana Greci-Green, Stacey Loyer, and Coralie Boeykens.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on January 12, 2025.

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