Coat

Coat

Coat

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Introduction

A moose hide coat decorated with red and green paint, with a quill-wrapped fringe with metal tinkle cone tassels along the bottom. There is a stylized beaver painted on the central back of the coat. Based on its similarity to coats in other collections, it may be Eastern James Bay, Quebec Cree or Metis. This coat is one of a larger collection of items made by Thomas White (Whyte) which were donated to the Grierson Museum by his son, James Whyte Douglas, in 1863, and subsequently transferred to the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre in 1965.

Nation of Maker: Eeyou (Eastern James Bay Quebec Cree)
Nation of Origin

Based on similarities with coats made by the (Eastern-James Bay, Quebec Cree) and Metis.

 

Place of Origin: Mistissini
Date Made or Date Range: 1750s-1790s
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

Based on museum documentation and observations made by the GRASAC research team.

Materials

Tanned moose hide; brass/copper tinkle cones (some shiny copper colour, some reddish, some red/green), paint, red and green; wool in tassels; porcupine quills, dyed red and yellow; sinew

Techniques or Format

The back and sides are cut as one piece and sewn with sinew. There are pained motifs on the front and back. The fringe at the coat's bottom appears to have been a separate strip, sewn on with each green-tinged fringe piece wrapped in porcupine quills and terminating with a metal tinkle cone containing remnants of wool.

Motifs and Patterns

A stylized beaver is painted up the central back.

Other Notes

On-site researchers: green paint on back is an unusual colour for these coats; Note: add additional notes taken by Heidi, consult Sherry Farrell-Racette who has studied this coat in detail, also consult Cath Oberholtzer.

Condition: There are signs of wear at waist (from rubbing of a sash?). The fringe is worn away on the front facing of coat, and a cuff has marks suggesting another band was sewn on end of the cuff, possibly made of fur or quillwork.
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

According to Sherry Farrell Racette, this coat was made in the late 18th century or earlier.

Current Location: Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, Scotland
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: ETHNN.564
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1965
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Grierson Museum
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: before 1830
Collection Narratives and Histories

This item is part of a larger collection acquired by the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre from the Grierson Museum in 1965. The collection was made by Thomas White (Whyte) (1783-1861). It is not known exactly when, or where, Thomas White was in Canada: he may have been a soldier stationed in Quebec around the time of the war of 1812, or he may have been visiting the family of his wife, Emily Douglas, who was related to Lord Selkirk Thomas Douglas. The items were presented to Dr. Grierson, of the Grierson Museum, in 1863 by Thomas Whyte's son, James Whyte Douglas.

Sources to Learn More

A.K. Brown (2009) ‘‘Mokisins’, ‘Cloaks’ and ‘a belt of a peculiar fabrik’:Recovering the history of the Thomas Whyte collection of North American clothing, formerly in the Grierson Museum, Thornhill’ Transactions of the Dumfries and Galloway Natural History Society.

GKS Reference Number: 25601
Record Creation Context

This record was created on 9 April 2007 as part of a GRASAC research trip to Scotland.

Record Creation Notes/Observations

On-site researchers: Cory Willmott, Heidi Bohaker, Laura Peers, Ruth Phillips, Keith Jamieson, Alan Corbiere, Alison Brown, Patricia Allen

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