mkak, box, birchbark

mkak, box, birchbark

mkak, box, birchbark

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Introduction

This relative is a cylindrical birchbark mkak (box) decorated with porcupine quills. It is likely Anishinaabe, possibly from Minnesota. It was collected by Mary and Emma Blakiston around 1910. In 1942, their sister, Anna Blakiston Day, wife of Frank Miles Day, gifted the mkak to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, where it currently resides.

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

This Anishinaabe attribution is based on the catalogue card.

Place of Origin: Minnesota, USA
Date Made or Date Range: before 1910
Materials

birchbark; white thread, now faded; split rush or cattail; porcupine quills

Techniques or Format

This cylindrical box is made of birchbark.

Motifs and Patterns

The quillwork forms a four-petaled white flower on the lid and berry and leaf motifs on the sides.

Dimensions: 12 × 12 × 13 cm
Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 42-29-44A (box); 42-29-44B (box lid)
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/102821
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1942
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Gift of Mrs. Frank Miles Day, 1942
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: 1910
Collection Narratives and Histories

This mkak was collected by Mary and Emma Blakiston around 1910. In 1942, their sister, Anna Blakiston Day, wife of Frank Miles Day, gifted the mkak to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, where it currently resides.

GKS Reference Number: 25329
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Mkak, box, birchbark. GRASAC ID 25329. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 42-29-44A & 42-29-44B.

Record Creation Context

Visit to University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, May 5 2010.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on August 15, 2024.

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