birchbark; split root; porcupine quills natural and dyed blue, yellow, black, red/orange; wallpaper?; gold paper trim; unsplit root (cedar?); bird quill?

A hexagonal bowl, made from a single piece of birchbark, cut so that the sides are folded and sewn together. The seams are sealed with split root strips and lashing. The rim is edged with a whole root around, cwrapped with split root, through which white bird quills (?) have been woven over and under, creating a decorative checkered effect. Inside the bowl, the rim is lined with gold paper trim with a zig-zag edge. The interior of the bowl is covered with six cut panels of paper. A brown floral-embossed strip has been added on top edge of the panels, going all the way around and covering the paper and gold trim. The interior bottom is framed with six cut strips of a different type of paper trim, decorated with a green and white floral and dot pattern.

Floral and maple leaf, heart, geometric motifs, some with quadrilateral bi-symmetrical.
See Phillips, Trading Identities (p.169).

The paper and trim on the inside of the bowl may be wallpaper.
It seems that the paper panels were glued down by being painted with a brush, because there seems to be brush marks on it.

AGG notes that the basket was likely made by "J.J." (Jane Johnston) Schoocraft, not "I.I. Istiantcraft" as the catalogue card says. AGG says it does not say "Istiancraft" -- it says "Schoolcraft" and has been mis-read.

Exchange from Philadelphia Museum

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, May 6 2010.

Researchers present: Adriana Greci-Green, Stacey Loyer, Coralie Boeykens