Materials

whole beaver skin; glass beads, various colours; cloth; red wool yarn tassels.

Techniques or Format

Decorated with woven and appliqued beadwork. There is an opening at the throat.

Motifs and Patterns

The beadwork is done in geometric and floral motifs.

Dimensions: 85 × 26 × 0 cm

Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 45-15-849

Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/176984

Collection at Current Location: Charles H. Stephens Collection

Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1945

Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Charles H. Stephens collection, Purchased from Mrs. Owen Stephens, 1945

Collection Narratives and Histories

This bag was purchased by Charles Hallowell Stephens on May 1, 1903 for a $4.50 from Osborn, a Philadelphia dealer. Upon his death, Stephens's collection was left to his son D. Owen Stephens, whose wife sold it to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1945, where it currently resides.

Source for Provenance information

This information comes from Stephens's catalogue cards.

Publication History

Wardle, Harriet N. "The Charles H. Stephens Collection." The University Museum Bulletin 3, no. 5. (1932): 131-138. (See: pl. XIII)

GKS Reference Number: 25427

How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Bag, mik-weyaan, beaver pelt. GRASAC ID 25427. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology 45-15-849.

Record Creation Context

This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on August 9, 2024.

Record Creation Notes/Observations

This relative was incorrectly identified as an otter bag. Based on the overall shape of the pelt and the protruding bucked teeth, it was catalogued as a beaver bag on 8/9/2024.

Copyright

culturally sensitive item