birchbark container

birchbark container

birchbark container

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Introduction

Lidded container made with birchbark, porcupine quills, spruce root, and remnants of silk ribbon. The small handle on the top is made of spruce root and interwoven quills. The top and sides are decorated with colourful motifs made of quills. There are floral motifs on the sides of the container, and two heart and two sun motifs on the lid of the container. This item was collected by Johann Georg Schwarz in the 1820s, and it is currently housed at the Weltmuseum Wien, Austria.

Name of Maker(s): Unknown Odawa artist
Nation of Maker: Odawa
Nation of Origin

Tag reads "Ottawa Indians".

Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

Tag reads "Odawa Indians".

Date Made or Date Range: Before 1822
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

GRASAC research notes created during an onsite visit to Weltmuseum in January of 2016.

Materials

Birchbark; quills, spruce root; remnant silk ribbon (possibly a strap).

Techniques or Format

Lidded birchbark container; perhaps imitates European ceramic, pedestaled; small handle wrapped with spruce root on top with interwoven quills; lid is lined with plain paper; interior lined with discoloured papers.

Motifs and Patterns

Floral motifs with hearts and a sun.

Dimensions: 11.5 × 9 × 14 cm
Condition: Very good.
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Johann Georg Schwarz collected this item, possibly when he traveled to Detroit and through Upper Canada in the winter of 1820-1821.

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 011992
Collection at Current Location: Schwarz Collection
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: 1820s
Previous Collectors: Johann Georg Schwarz
Collection Narratives and Histories

Johann Georg Schwarz traveled to Detroit and through Upper Canada in the winter of 1820-1821.

GKS Reference Number: 59006
How to Cite this Item

Unknown Odawa artist, birchbark container. Currently in the Weltmuseum Wien, Vienna, Austria, 11992. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip January 2016; GRASAC item id 59006.

Record Creation Context

In January of 2016, a small team of GRASAC researchers visited the collection to study and photograph it: Ruth Phillips, Lisa Truong, Naomi Recollet (Anishinaabe (Odawa/Ojibwe), Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory) and Wahsontiio Cross (Mohawk, Kahnawake). This GKS record was created in December of 2021 by GRASAC RA Aidan Mitchell-Boudreau.

Approximate Place of Origin

42.7, -92.2