headdress

headdress

headdress

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Introduction

This headdress is part of a war bundle. It is made of deerskin rubbed with green pigment. The lower portion is made of netted hide. It is decorated with twelve dew claws and fifteen brass colored hawk bells.  The headdress is shaped like an apron with ties.  The top edge is doubled over about one half inch and stitched with leather thongs that extend at the sides for ties. In addition to the headdress, the bundle contains a miniature baagndibe'gan (war club), feet and tail of a mshiikenh (snapping turtle), deerskin ball, necklace, rattle, and bandolier sash. The bundle was collected by M.G. Chandler in Bkejwanong, Walpole Island, where local knowledge connected the bundle to Pontiac. The subsequent collector, Richard A. Pohrt thought the bundle was not old enough for this connection and thought the bundle might be related to Tecumseh instead. This relative and bundle currently reside at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Traditional Knowledge Label
TK Culturally Sensitive
TK Culturally Sensitive

This material has cultural and/or historical sensitivities

Nation of Maker: Odawa
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

DIA Records

Place of Origin: Michigan, USA
Date Made or Date Range: 1700s
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

Detroit Institute of Arts records

Materials

deerskin, pigment, leather, dew claws, and brass hawk bells

Techniques or Format

Headdress of deerskin rubbed with green pigment. The lower area is netted. Decorated with twelve dew claws, and fifteen brass colored hawk bells. The headdress is shaped like an apron with ties. The top edge is doubled over about one half inch and stitched with leather thongs, and extends at the sides for ties.

Other Notes

length of lower netted area: 13 in., Item found in war bundle: See also 81.174.1-12.

Dimensions: 21.5 × 12 × 0 in
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

DIA records

Current Location: Detroit Institute of Arts, MI, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 81.174.13
Collection at Current Location: Chandler Pohrt Collection
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1981
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Richard A. Pohrt
Collection Narratives and Histories

Collected by M. G. Chandler at Walpole Island, Ontario. Local tradition indicated this was part of the war bundle of Pontiac, Ottawa chief. According to Pohrt, the material is not old enough to have belonged to Pontiac; Chandler's informant may have meant Tecumseh.

GKS Reference Number: 26271
Record Creation Context

This record was augmented by Cara Krmpotich on Jan 26, 2024.

Approximate Place of Origin

42.52069952915, -83.276097207827

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