Black velvet base, lined with blue calico, edged with multicolored ribbons. Home-tanned deer hide with pinked edges at top and fringes at bottom tipped with large tine cones. Black cotton sateen above rows of thick yarn fringes (red, royal blue, magenta and medium purple), wide silk ribbon in red and cream; medium width silk ribbon in green, purple, light brown and navy. Various feather remains attached at edges.

Machine stitching of body and ribbon binding and fringe attachments. Hand made tin cones. Cone fringes in two rows in the center of front and back, as well as capping the shoulders. Above and below there are fringes of yarn. Entire piece is lined with calico. Edges are bound with ribbon, machine stitched on, and trimmed with ribbon and feathers. Feathers are cut and curled.

Used in religious ceremonies (Dream Dance and/or Midewiwin) (on site interpretation). "Poncho cape of black velvet decorated with yarn, ribbons and metal danglers, used by woman. Used in Midiwiwin ceremony Saulteaux band of Chippewa." (NMAI catalogue card)

This cape is similar to another one collected by Hallowell from the family of Fairwind. AM says that Maureen Mathews found out they were worn by women in Fairwind''s family. She thinks that Maureen Mathews has photos of the other Hallowell cape that was at the University of Winnipeg collection before Katherine Pettipas put it away in an inaccessible "sacred" artifact safe.

c. 1900 - 1919 atributed by AM, and CW.

Berens River, Manitoba.

This record was created on site at NMAI by the GRASAC members listed below. Ann McMullen and Pat Nietfeld of NMAI supported the research onsite. Cory Willmott's research was funded by a grant from the American Philosophical Society. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provided Cory with an RA, Ceara Horsley, in Fall 2008 to work on GRASAC data entry. (CH)