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handle of a fan
handle of a fan
handle of a fan
Handle of a fan made of birchbark, porcupine quills, silk ribbon, and possibly cardboard. The two pieces of quilled birchbark are sewn together with green silk edging, with blue ribbon edging at the top of the fan. Black, white, red, and green quillwork designs on the top, possibly floral motifs. Collected by Martin Pitzer, this item is currently housed at the Weltmuseum Wien in Vienna, Austria.
In Martin Pitzer's "Index of Objects and Woks of an American Indian Tribe in the Far North, Together With a Description of the Same," he writes that the items in this book are from "the north ‐ eastern part of North America, and is called the tribe of the Otawahs, or Ottawas" (35).
GRASAC research notes created during an onsite visit to Weltmuseum in January of 2016.
Read More About This Relative
Birchbark, porcupine quills, green silk ribbon, blue ribbon, black thread, and possibly cardboard.
Two pieces of quilled birch bark sewn together with green silk edging; at the top of fan edging is blue ribbon.
Stylized floral motif, different on either side.
writing on top of birchbarkb: migisi…gwanag
written vertically: wawesigan (in pencil)
Martin Pitzer collected this item when he travelled to the Great Lakes region in the 1850s.
Provenance
Austrian church painter Martin Pitzer travelled to the Great Lakes region, to "the Ottawa villages of Arbre Croche and Cross Village" in the early 1850s. He collected a significant number of items and brought them back to Austria to be part of an exhibition to raise money for the mission.
About This GRASAC Record
Unknown Odawa artist, handle of a fan. Currently in the Weltmuseum Wien, Vienna, Austria, 131767. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip January 2016; GRASAC item id 59059.
In January of 2016, a small team of GRASAC researchers visited the collection to study and photograph it: Ruth Phillips, Lisa Truong, Naomi Recollet (Anishinaabe (Odawa/Ojibwe), Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory) and Wahsontiio Cross (Mohawk, Kahnawake). This GKS record was created in January of 2022 by GRASAC RA Aidan Mitchell-Boudreau.
43.6, -71.9
In Martin Pitzer's "Index of Objects and Woks of an American Indian Tribe in the Far North, Together With a Description of the Same," he writes that the items in this book are from "the north ‐ eastern part of North America, and is called the tribe of the Otawahs, or Ottawas" (35).