gokbinaagan, basket, sweetgrass

gokbinaagan, basket, sweetgrass

gokbinaagan, basket, sweetgrass

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Introduction

This relative is an Anishinaabe gokbinaagan (basket) made from sweetgrass and wiigwaas (birchbark) with a floral design made from pink and green kaawyikewin (quillwork). 

It was collected by Amos H. Gottschall between 1871 and 1905. Gottschall's collection was likely left to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANS) sometime before 1937. ANS formally gifted the collection to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1997, where this relative currently resides.

Name of Maker(s): Maker Unrecorded
Maker role: Artist
Nation of Maker: Anishinaabe Odawa
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

Gottschall's catalogue lists the nation as "Ottawa."

Place of Origin: Michigan (Northern Michigan), USA
Date Made or Date Range: Before 1905
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

The information in this record is based on museum documentation.

Materials

sweetgrass; birchbark; black thread; split root; basswood or cedar; porcupine quills dyed pink and green.

Techniques or Format

The base of the basket and the lid are birchbark, with wrapped sweetgrass bunches forming the sides of the basket as well as the sides of the lid.

Motifs and Patterns

The kaawyikewin is done in a floral design on the lid of the gokbinaagan.

Dimensions: 17.6 × 16.6 × 8 cm
Condition: There is significant quill loss in the decoration on the lid.
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

These dates are based on Gottschall's collecting activities.

Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 97-84-100A (basket); 97-84-100B (basket lid); L-84-100A-B (old museum numbers); 18130 (ANS number); II 81 (Gottschall number)
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/96515
Collection at Current Location: Amos H. Gottschall Collection
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1997
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Gift of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1997.
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: 1871 to 1905
Collection Narratives and Histories

This relative was collected by Amos H. Gottschall between 1871 and 1905. His collection was likely left to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANS) sometime before 1937. ANS formally gifted the collection to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1997, where it currently resides.

Source for Provenance information

Museum documentation.

Publication History

Gottschall, Amos H. Priced and Descriptive Catalogue of the Utensils, Implements, Weapons, Ornaments, Etc., of the Indians, Mound Builders, Cliff Dwellers: Typical Collections No. 2. 1909. (See: II 81).

GKS Reference Number: 26805
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Gokbinaagan, basket, sweetgrass. GRASAC ID 26805. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 97-84-100A & 97-84-100B.

Record Creation Context

This information was gathered during a research visit to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, on May 6, 2010. The Researchers present were: Adriana Greci-Green, David Penny, Stacey Loyer, and Coralie Boeykens.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on March 16, 2025.

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