naakan, mat, rush

naakan, mat, rush

naakan, mat, rush

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Introduction

This relative is a small Anishinaabe (possibly Ojibwe) naakan (mat) woven from naaknashk (rush) with coloured striped motifs in yellow, purple, and magenta. The associated museum tag suggests that this relative was collected by Amos H. Gottschall near Leech Lake, Minnesota in 1895. 

Gottschall collected 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 this relative currently resides.

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

Gottschall's catalogue lists the nation as "Chippewa" (Ojibwe).

Place of Origin: Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Date Made or Date Range: Before 1895
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

The information in this record is based on museum documentation.

Materials

rush, natural and dyed yellow, purple and magenta.

Techniques or Format

Made from twilled rush, some dyed.

Motifs and Patterns

The dyed rush is done in crosswise bands.

Dimensions: 28 × 25 × 0 cm
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

The associated tag is dated 1895.

Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 97-85-477 (Penn number); L-85-477 (old museum number); 17967 (ANS number); I 202 (Gottschall number)
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/322239
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: Likely 1895
Collection Narratives and Histories

The associated tag suggests it was collected by Amos H. Gottschall near Leech Lake, Minnesota in 1895. Gottschall collected 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 this relative 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. 1. 1909. (See: I 202)

GKS Reference Number: 25462
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Naakan, mat, rush. GRASAC ID 25462. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 97-85-477.

Record Creation Context

This information was gathered during a GRASAC site research visit by Alan Corbiere, David Penney, Stacey Loyer, Ruth Phillips and William Wierzbowski (curator) on December 2, 2009.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on March 5, 2025.

Approximate Place of Origin

47.3353, -94.2069

Source of Information about Places

Pin placed to represent the Leech Lake Reservation where this relative is believed to have been originally collected.

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