mkak, box, birchbark with moosehair embroidery

mkak, box, birchbark with moosehair embroidery

mkak, box, birchbark with moosehair embroidery

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Introduction

This relative is a Huron-Wendat mkak (box) made from wiigwaas (birchbark) with a floral design embroidered in moosehair. In 1957, the George Washington Memorial Museum gifted the mkak to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, where it currently resides. 

Name of Maker(s): Maker Unrecorded
Nation of Maker: Huron-Wendat
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

Huron-Wendat is indicated in the museum documentation.

Date Made or Date Range: Before 1957
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

The information in this record is based on museum documentation.

Materials

birchbark; black thread; red wool; moosehair, natural and dyed green, red, yellow and orange.

Techniques or Format

The lid is sewn onto one side of the mkak with a tab closure. There is a red tassel on the back of the box.

Motifs and Patterns

The moosehair embroidery is done in floral designs on the sides of the mkak.

Dimensions: 16.5 × 11.8 × 6.2 cm
Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 57-26-52 (Penn museum number); L-269-54 (old museum number)
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/116691
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1957
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Gift of the George Washington Memorial Museum, 1957
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: Before 1957
Collection Narratives and Histories

In 1957, the George Washington Memorial Museum gifted the mkak to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, where it currently resides. It is likely that this references the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, however it is unclear how they acquired the mkak.

Source for Provenance information

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

GKS Reference Number: 25399
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Mkak, box, birchbark with moosehair embroidery. GRASAC ID 25399. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 57-26-52.

Record Creation Context

This information was gathered during a research visit to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, May 7 2010. The researchers present were: Adriana Greci-Green, David Penny, Stacey Loyer, and Coralie Boeykens.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on February 22, 2025.

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