mkak, box, birchbark

mkak, box, birchbark

mkak, box, birchbark

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Introduction

This Anishinaabe mkak (box) is a circular birchbark box decorated with porcupine quillwork. It was collected in Northern Michigan 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.

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

Gottschall's catalogue attributes the mkak to the "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

birch bark; porcupine quills white and dyed green, blue, dark purple, medium purple, pink, yellow, orange; beige thread; black thread.

Techniques or Format

Made of birch bark, decorated with large quills. A single piece of split spruce root is tacked around the bottom edge and mid-way up the bottom part with natural porcupine quills. There is also spruce root on the inside of the box's rim, probably to strengthen the rim, and on the outer rim of the lid. The root on the lid is sewn down with black thread. Criss-cross tacking in porcupine quills holds the top of the lid to the lid edge.

Motifs and Patterns

The quillwork is done in floral motifs, 4-pointed star motifs, and diamonds. Bill says some of the motifs on the sides may be strawberries.

Dimensions: 16.4 × 16.4 × 9.3 cm
Condition: Good. Some breakage of the spruce root.
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: 97-84-152A (box lid); 97-84-152B (box); L-84-152A-B (old museum numbers); 18090 (ANS number); I 1039 (Gottschall number)
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/15515
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 mkak was collected in Northern Michigan 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.

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 1039)

GKS Reference Number: 25008
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Mkak, box, birchbark. GRASAC ID 25006. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 97-84-152A & 97-84-152B.

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 13, 2024.

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