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two-tabbed pouch
two-tabbed pouch
two-tabbed pouch
This two-tabbed, or two-eared, pouch is crafted from smoked and brain-tanned hide. It's name reflects the two ears or tabs at the top. There is quill decoration in dark purple (originally black), white, and orange (originally red) just under the taps. There is a larger section of quillwork in the middle of the bag, which appears to be applied as a band. The bottom half of the bag is decorated with irridescent green bird feathers, perhaps from a mallard. The feathers seem to have been applied on a band as well. Along the bottom of the quill band and the feather band are tinkle cones. At one time, the cones in both the top and bottom rows had hair, but now almost all are missing. The cones are stitched on using leather thongs. The upper thongs (i.e. with the quill band) are painted with red ochre, and quill wrapped, whereas the lower row does not show any signs of compression from quill wrapping.
This relative currently resides at the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin, Germany.
Sioux, Dakota or Western Great Lakes are all possible origins.
The Museum's record has a note including "Sioux?" and relating this bag with IV-B-167. GRASAC researchers though the crescent quill work was similar to Dakota or Western Great Lakes nations.
Museum documentation and GRASAC researcher notes
Read More About This Relative
hide, quill, feathers, beads, tinkle cones
White beaded edging; greenish ribbon edge around the back of the pouch; no signs of sinew stitching.
Quillwrapping and painting of some of the hide thongs for the cones.
The pouch extends all the way to the bottom.
Alan Corbiere and Laura Peers estimated it would require three mallards to produce the feathers for this pouch.
Dark purple (originally black) and white quilled crescents with orange (originally red) triangles near the top. The central quilled panel is bordered on the top and bottom in orange quills. The middle of the quilled panel has a dark purple background with three horizontal rows or triangles--a white row, then orange row, then another white row.
Alan Corbiere and Laura Peers agreed that this pouch looks it would have had straps at the top of the tabs, though Laura noted she has never seen one with straps attached.
Laura Peers noted that the identification of two-tabbed bags or two-eared bags with the Great Lakes comes from curator Christian Feest.
In conversation about the crescent motifs, Laura Peers noted it looks akin to Dakota or the Western Great Lakes; sometimes Dakota crescents are symbols for Elk People. Alan noted that linguistically the word for "crescent" it Dakota translates as "bitten moon."
Laura Peers noted that around the time of collection (1839), lots of travelling Indigenous groups came through Paris and London, and would have things available for purchase.
The date of collection is 1839 in the Museum's documentation.
Provenance
Acquired from Rönne in 1839. On the backside of the catalogue card is additional information in German - it is unclear if this info relates to its history.
Museum documentation
About This GRASAC Record
Maker unknown. Two-tabbed pouch. GRASAC ID 59168. Ethnologisches Museum Berlin, Catalogue Number IV-B-166.
This record was created by Cara Krmpotich on March 12, 2024 drawing on notes and photographs from a GRASAC research visit to the Museum in May 2019 including Cara Krmpotich, Alan Corbiere, Laura Peers, Maureen Matthews, with Hannah Turner and Charles Feaver on photography. Curator Monika Zessnik supported the visit.