Maple sugar mould

Maple sugar mould

Maple sugar mould

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Introduction

A rectangular Anishinaabe wooden mould with four compartments for making maple sugar. Three are marked with cross hatching and the fourth with a sacred heart and "IHS" with a crucifix. Collected by F.W. Waugh on the north shore of Georgian Bay, Algoma County, Ontario.

Nation of Maker: Anishinaabe
Date Made or Date Range: 1890s
Materials

wood (maple?)

Techniques or Format

four rectangular compartments used as moulds for maple sugar

Motifs and Patterns

3 compartments have cross-hatching, one has "I H S with the cross over the H" and a sacred heart

Additional Context

IHS stands for "In Hoc Signo" meaning "In this sign you will conquer" derived from the Greek christogram of Emperor Constantine.

Dimensions: 56.8 × 9.8 × 4.5 mm
Condition: good
Current Location: National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: E203767
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1899
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: F.W. Waugh
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: 1890s
GKS Reference Number: 26763
Approximate Place of Origin

45.7171, -81.6848

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