tray, wiigwaas, birchbark and moosehair embroidery

tray, wiigwaas, birchbark and moosehair embroidery

tray, wiigwaas, birchbark and moosehair embroidery

top image
Images
Introduction

This relative is a square Huron-Wendat calling card tray made of wiigwaas (birchbark) with moosehair embroidery in floral motifs as well as images of animals, birds, men, women, and plants. Although the precise origins of this relative are not certain, it was likely made in the mid-18th to early 19th century. 

In 1992, Marshall Joseph Becker gifted the tray to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, where this relative currently resides.

Name of Maker(s): Maker Unrecorded
Maker role: Artist
Nation of Maker: Huron-Wendat
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

The style is similar to other Huron-Wendat trays.

Date Made or Date Range: 1850s to 1920s
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

The information in this record is based on museum documentation.

Materials

birchbark; moosehair, white and dyed brown, orange, blue, green and maroon.

Techniques or Format

Two layers of birchbark sewn together, square flat bottom, four sloping sides sewn to the base. The upper layer of bark is embroidered with moosehair. Tray is made of two layers of birchbark sewn together; white moose hair has been used in the stitching. The tray has a square flat bottom.

Motifs and Patterns

The tray is embroidered with moosehair in images of animals, birds, men, women, and plants.

Dimensions: 21 × 17.7 × 3.2 cm
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

These dates are based on the style of similar items.

Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 92-12-9
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/128550
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1992
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Gift of Marshall Joseph Becker, 1992.
Collection Narratives and Histories

In 1992, Marshall Joseph Becker gifted the tray to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, where this relative currently resides.

Source for Provenance information

Museum documentation.

Publication History

Williams, Lucy F. Guide to the North American Ethnographic Collection at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2003. See: p. 87, pl. 106.

GKS Reference Number: 26670
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Tray, birchbark and moosehair embroidery. GRASAC ID 26670. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 92-12-9.

Record Creation Context

This information was gathered during a GRASAC study visit, participants included: David Penney, Ruth Phillips, Stacey Loyer, and William Wierzbowski, on December 3, 2009.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on March 29, 2025.

Do You Have Knowledge to Contribute? Share with Us.