Materials

Canvas, cotton, seed and tubular beads, wool tape, wool, thread.

Techniques or Format

Rectangular bottom panel with two shoulder strap panels, No pouch, Panels are canvas completely covered with broad floral seed bead designs, Lining for pouch and strap is brown floral patterned cloth, Loop fringe, Sewn with thread.

Motifs and Patterns

Broad floral designs along a triple black stem on a white background, Bottom panel has green and blue leaves with brown spines, Strap panels have multi-coloured flowers and leaves, Semi-translucent, opaque and red white core beads applied with overlaid spot-stitched technique, Panels have a double row border of red white core beads, Designs on strap panels are fairly symmetrical, Red wool tape on inner and bottom edges of straps, Blue wool tape on outer edges of strap panels and top and sides of bottom panel, Blue wool tape ends create a fringe at each bottom corner, twenty-two loop fringes along bottom edge, each fringe made from heavy cotton thread with cylindrical multi-facetted blue and red beads with green wool tassels at ends, Two loops also have a single black bead.

Original and Subsequent Uses

Bandolier bags most likely originated in the Upper Great Lakes region during the 1840s and 1850s. Fashioned exclusively from European materials and adorned with thousands of beads, bandolier bags were primarily for show, as a symbol of identity, wealth and status. Although initially functional, by the late 19th and early 20th centuries many of the bags had false pouches or none at all. Sometimes called "friendship bags", they were often created as gifts to strengthen relationships within communities or between nations. By the 1870s they had become an important element of formal dress worn mainly at ceremonies and celebrations by men, and occasionally by women. They wore them - singly or several at a time - crossed over the torso or draped around the neck. The wearing of more than one bag was generally the prerogative of a leader or a person of high honour." (McCord, 2013). Bandolier adopted by Ojibwa in 19th century after seeing bullet pouches used by British soldiers. Bullet pouches were plain and decorated with crest or coat of arms. When idea adopted by Ojibwa, they were greatly prized and highly decorated ceremonial accessories. They became so highly prized by Ojibwa and other tribes (especially Sioux), that one bandolier could be traded for one pony. They became a status symbol of highest ranking Midewiwin priests.

Dimensions: 108 × 42 × 0 cm

Condition: Good, Twill tape faded, Missing beads, Wool dye faded, Tubular beads cracked.

Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

From catalogue records.

Current Location: Manitoba Museum, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: HBC T4596

Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://manitobamuseum.ca/main/collections-research/collections-database/

Collection at Current Location: Hudson's Bay Company Museum Collection

Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1994

Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Parks Canada, Lower Fort Garry National Historic Park, Manitoba is identified as the source of this bandolier.

Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: 1922

Previous Collectors: HBC Museum Collection

Collection Narratives and Histories

Hudson's Bay Company Winnipeg Fur Trade Department collected materials in preparation for 250th anniversary celebrations of the HBC in 1920. Many of these items were used in the Processions and Pow Wow at Lower Fort Garry in May, 1920.

Source for Provenance information

Montreal: The McCord Museum, 2013; Print.

Exhibition History

Hudson's Bay Company Winnipeg Fur Trade Department collected materials in preparation for 250th anniversary celebrations of the HBC in 1920.Parks Canada, Lower Fort Garry National Historic Park, Manitoba is identified as the source of this bandolier.

Comment on Source of Exhibition & Publication Data

One of 25,000 of artefacts from the original Hudson's Bay Company Museum Collection which was donated to the Manitoba Museum by the HBC in 1994.

GKS Reference Number: 58805