Materials

Black ash splint, sweetgrass, pink and green dye, black thread.

Techniques or Format

Black ash trees are felled, the bark stripped and then the tree pounded with the back of an axe until the growth rings can be removed. The splints produced are flexible when moistened and become very strong once woven and dried. They are dyed before weaving. Sweetgrass is gathered, cleaned and braided for extra texture (Deyohahá:ge:- Indigenous Knowledge Centre
Hodinohso:ni Art Lesson #13, Basket Making, Six Nations Polytechnic). This basket has a narrow base made from woven sweetgrass, the body and lid of the basket is made from natural and pink dyed black ash splints interwoven with sweetgrass braids. The lid is attached to the basket on one side with black thread and has a handle made from a single piece of twisted undyed black ash splint.

Dimensions: 0 × 0 × 25 cm

Condition: Very good. Weaving is in good condition and the basket is stable overall. The dyes have faded considerably but the inside of the basket retains its original brightness.

Current Location: Native Canadian Centre of Toronto

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 2012.1.30-1-2

Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 2012

Collection Narratives and Histories

The provenance of this basket is unknown. It was accessioned and catalogued into the NCCT's collection in 2012 by Emma Knight but there is no record as to how it came to be in the NCCT's collection. It is possible that they were part of a large donation to the NCCT from the Anglican Church Women in 1976, however this basket does not have the ACW tags attached that the rest of the donation does. it could have also been donated to the NCCT from a community member.

Related language items in the GKS: gaˀahdraˀ gokbinaagan

GKS Reference Number: 27351

How to Cite this Item

Unknown artist, basket. Currently at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, 2012.1.30-1-2. NCCT Archive; GRASAC item id 27351.

Record Creation Context

The information found in these records was generated as a part of a research project entitled Memory, Meaning-making and Collections in which Anishinaabe and Cree seniors engaged in handling sessions with objects in the collection of the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. As a research partnership between the University of Toronto and the NCCT, these sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Additional information was collected through archival, secondary and comparative research methods. An archive of the project is stored with First Story Toronto at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. For more information on archived interviews or archival material please contact Dr. Cara Krmpotich.