bowl

bowl

bowl

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Introduction

Bowl made of birch bark and sweetgrass, decorated quillwork floral and leaf motifs. Made by Sophie Agowisse. Anishinaabeg, 19th century, probably from Manitoulin. One of several items collected by Father Edward Purbrick in 1879 and donated to Stonyhurst College. Part of the collection purchased by the British Museum from Stonyhurst College in 2003.

Nation of Maker: Anishinaabe
Nation of Origin

Stylistic features. As well, the maker's surname, Agowisse is common to M'Chigeeng, Wiki, and Shegundah.

Date Made or Date Range: Early 19 C to Late 19 C
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

Created from information in the British Museum object catalogue and observations made by the GRASAC research team.

Materials

Made of birch bark, sweetgrass and black thread. Decorated with porcupine quills, white and dyed light purple and white.

Techniques or Format

Coil-wrapped sweetgrass sewn on to a birch bark base. Porcupine quillwork decorates the base.

Motifs and Patterns

A single floral motif with leaves, surrounded by small white circles.

Dimensions: 14.5 × 13.7 × 0 cm
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

British Museum accession record. Purbrick acquired this item, along with other similarly-quilled birch bark pieces, while on a tour of inspection to the English Catholic missions in the eastern Great Lakes. It is likely that items were gifts, made that year, for presentation to him.

Current Location: British Museum, London, UK
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: Am2003,19.35
Collection at Current Location: Purbrick Collection
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 2003
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Stonyhurst College
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: 1879
Collection Narratives and Histories

Collected by Father Edward Purbrick in 1879 and subsequently donated to the Stonyhurst College, a Jesuit school in Lancashire. The Stonyhurst Collection was purchased by the British Museum in 2003.

Sources to Learn More

A description of Father Edward Purbrick's collection and a discussion on the decorative styles of many of the birch bark items is found in Ruth Phillips, Trading Identities: The Souvenir in Native North American Art from the Northeast, 1700-1900 (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1998), 182-3.

GKS Reference Number: 24935
How to Cite this Item

Sophie Agowisse, Anishinaabeg, bowl. Currently in the British Museum, Am2003,19.35. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip December 2007; GRASAC item id 24935.

Record Creation Context

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).

Record Creation Notes/Observations

Researchers present: Heidi Bohaker (HB), John Borrows (JB), Lindsay Borrows (LB), Darlene Johnston (DJ), Stacey Loyer (SL), Janis Monture (JM), Bruce Morito (BM), Ruth Phillips (RP), Cory Willmott (CW).

Approximate Place of Origin

43.6, -71.9

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