Birch bark; wooden splint; Natural fiber or split root; leather

The container is made from a single piece of birchbark, with four incisions made to its sides, with each seam held in place by a small tacking stitch to prevent the bark from splitting. The rim is reinforced with a wooden splint and wrapped with vegetal fibre or split root. Both of the main surfaces are decorated with geometrical motifs applied with a scraping or sgraffito technique. A leather thong shoulder strap is attached to the container.

Geometric motifs: zig zags, chained diamonds. Each side is decorated with different motifs.

In his catalogue for the Beltrami Collection, Leonardo Vigorelli states that this object has was used as a maple sugar container.

In his catalogue, L.Vigorelli states that this type of decoration, with different geometrical motives for each surface, is characteristic of the oldest specimens made by Chippewa.
He states that the scraping decorative technique was realized by bone tools, probably a rabbit heel bone.

Collected by G.C. Beltrami from Wisconsin in 1823. Beltrami's collection catalogue states that around 1856, Beltrami's nephew donated several objects to the Civic Library of Bergamo, which were later transferred to the Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali.

The Beltrami''s Collection has been exhibited in Florence in 1929 during the "Prima Esposizione Nazionale di Storia delle Scienze" (First National Exposition of History of Sciences").
In 1973, in the occasion of a celebrating exhibit of Beltrami, Glauco Luchetti donated three objects from his ownn collection, which is located in the last Beltrami''''s house in Filottrano, to the "Museo Civico E. Caffi".
In 1987 has been mounted the exhibit "Missisippi 1823. Oggetti indiani raccolti da G. Costantino Beltrami" in the Galleria Lorenzelli in Bergamo

The Beltrami Collection was exhibited in Florence in 1929 during the "Prima Esposizione Nazionale di Storia delle Scienze" (First National Exposition of History of Sciences"). In 1973, during a celebration of the Beltrami exhibit, Glauco Luchetti donated three objects from his own collection, which were located in Beltrami's last house in Filottrano, to the "Museo Civico E. Caffi". In 1987 the collection was used in the exhibit entitled "Missisippi 1823. Oggetti indiani raccolti da G. Costantino Beltrami" in the Galleria Lorenzelli in Bergamo.

Leonardo Vigorelli, Gli Oggetti indiani raccolti da G.Costantino Beltrami, Civico Museo E. Caffi, Bergamo, 1987

This record was created by Emanuela Rossi after a trip, funded by GRASAC, to the Museo Civico E. Caffi in Bergamo, Italy in October 2008.

Researchers present: Emanuela Rossi