tanned or cured furred hide, white-tailed deer; dew claws; porcupine quills, white, red, black, yellow; brass thimbles; hock bells; brass cones; deer hair, red dyed; woolen yarn, red and yellow, navy blue; linen thread; pony beads (size 8), white, sky blue.

The bag's front appears to be made of the skin from four deer legs, sewn together, bound with quill-wrapped leather thong. The strap is finger-woven decorated with inwoven beads and resist dye on the straps' centre-top. Zigzag band quillwork is done over two linen threads. There may be ochre on the bottom of each deer skin strip, between the dew claws. The pouch is sewn with linen thread and is unlined.

The bag's strap has beaded otter tail motifs and zig zag lines. Strips of zigzag band quillwork form two large H-shaped motifs on the bag's front and two parallel lines on the top of the flap.

According to Ruth Phillips, the "H"s are not unique but we don't know what they mean. This item looks like other rectangular and black skinned pouches.

No evidence of use. AC is not convinced that it wasn't used - the bag was intended to make noise.

The style of bag (rectangular pouch and strap) suggests a date range in the 18th century, no earlier than 1740. (CW) The bells and thimbles might hold a clue for dating.

One of several items donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum by Irene Marguerite Beasley in 1954.

Jeremy Coote, Chris Morton and Julia Nicholson. Transformations: The Art of Recycling (Oxford: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, 2000).

This record was created as part of a Great Lakes Research Alliance for the Study of Aboriginal Arts and Cultures (GRASAC) research trip to the Pitt Rivers Museum and British Museum, December 8-22 2007, funded by a grant from the International Opportunities fund of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

researchers present: Heidi Bohaker (HB), Al Corbiere (AC), Stacey Loyer (SL), Janis Monture (JM), Laura Peers (LP), Ruth Phillips (RP), Anne De Stecher (AS), Cory Willmott (CW).