blackened hide; porcupine quills; tin cones; red dyed deer hair; sinew; cordage (hemp or nettle).

Single piece folded and stitched at sides with no flap. Narrow (1/2") wide strap stitched to corners on back.

From top of bag: Three rows of quillwork with row of tin cones with deer hair; Central panel of five rows of quillwork topped with three arches and above a design field consisting of four squares filled with diagonal crosses with circles in the middle. Around the outside of the sides is a row of triangles.

Bird quills have glossy and dull sides because they must be opened; porcupine quills are flattened, so shiny on both sides. Squares represent four quadrants (DP), or four layers of the underworld (AC), whereas 3 domes represent upperworld mountains (AC). Large discussion developed concerning parameters of interpretation (refer to audio tape). Fairly unique design outside of common design tradition. DP ask if the three domes could represent three actual mountains, thus refering to a definite geographic location.

c.1775-c.1800 (DP)

Cory Willmott, Alan Corbiere, Adrianna Grecci Green and David Penney conducted research on site at the Peabody Museum for Archaeology and Ethnology in July 2007 with help from Susan Haskell and Patricia Capone of the PMAE. Cory Willmott's research was funded by a grant from the American Philosophical Society. Al Corbiere was supported through Ruth Phillips's SSHRC Canada Research Chair Funding. An internal grant from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provided Cory with an RA, Ceara Horsley, for 2009 and 2010 to work on GRASAC data entry. (CW & CH)