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Belt, headband, garter
Belt, headband, garter
Belt, headband, garter
A band of loom-woven beadwork, intended to be a headband or garter. Made by Christine Massan, a Cree woman. Massan married Henry Moir, a Scottish fur trader who worked for the Hudson Bay Company as Post Manager at Churchill and York Factories. The band was one of four Massan made for her two sons, Tom and Ronald Moir, when they left Canada to attend school in Scotland after the death of their father in 1920. Donated to the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre by Tom Moir in 2002.
The museum documentation states that the maker, Christine Massan, was Maskekowiyiniwak (Swampy Cree ).
Based on museum documentation.
Read More About This Relative
Glass beads, navy, light blue, yellow, red, brown, peach; gold; cotton; thread, navy.
A band of loom woven beadwork backed with cotton. There is a fringe on one end, with the fringe probably missing on the other end. A single bead picot edging runs along the top and bottom of the band.
Geometric motifs; zig zags
The objects were made for the maker's two sons, Johnny and Tom, who were sent to be raised by their Scottish relatives after the death of their father Henry Moir in 1920.
Alison Brown: given to children, Tom and Ronald Moir by their Maskekowiyiniwak (Swampy Cree) mother when they left Canada to go to Scotland with their Scottish father, a fur trader; subsequently used by children of Ronald Moir ( Tom Moir and Sarah Grant) as headbands; see paper by Alison Brown in Proceedings of the 2004 Ruperts Land Conference Ruth Phillips: this may have originally have been intended to be worn as an arm garter
According to museum documentation and the GRASAC research team, the beadwork dates to between 1915 and 1920.
Provenance
Made by Christine Massan, a Swampy Cree woman. Massan married Henry Moir, a Scottish fur trader who worked for the Hudson Bay Company as Post Manager at Churchill and York Factories. The band was one of four Massan made for her two sons, Tom and Ronald Moir, when they left Canada to attend school in Scotland after the death of their father in 1920.
K13 Patterns of Change
Alison K. Brown, "A social history of four Hudson Bay beadwork bands" (Papers of the Rupert's Land Colloquium, 2004, The Centre of Rupert's Land Studies, University of Winnipeg."
Alison K. Brown, "A social history of four Hudson Bay beadwork bands" (Papers of the Rupert's Land Colloquium, 2004, The Centre of Rupert's Land Studies, University of Winnipeg."
About This GRASAC Record
Item to be cited by catalog number, collection and institution.
This record was created on 9 April 2007, as part of a GRASAC research trip to Scotland.
On-site researchers: Cory Willmott, Heidi Bohaker, Laura Peers, Ruth Phillips, Keith Jamieson, Alan Corbiere, Alison Brown, Patricia Allen