mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass
mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass
mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass







This rectangular Anishinaabe mkak (box) is made from wiigwaas (birchbark) and bound with sweetgrass, with a floral design made from kaawyikewin (quillwork). It was collected 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 this relative currently resides.
Listed as "Ottawa" on the catalogue card.
The information in this record is based on museum documentation.
Read More About This Relative
birch bark; sweetgrass; black thread; porcupine quills natural and dyed green and pink.
The bottom of the box is a rectangular piece of birch bark. The sides are built up with rows of bunched sweetgrass wrapped with dark thread, followed by a panel of birch bark decorated with quillwork circles and leaf motifs, followed by more sweetgrass. The top two centimetres of the box is slightly smaller than the rest, acting as a lip upon which the top sits. The birchbark panel is sealed together with four tacks of natural quills. The lid is a rectangular piece of birchbark decorated with floral motifs and double and tripletacks of natural quills, edged with sweetgrass bunches wrapped with dark thread.
The kaawyikewin is done in circles, floral, and leaf motifs.
These dates are based on Gottschall's collecting activities.
Provenance
This relative was collected 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 this relative currently resides.
Gottschall, Amos H. Priced and Descriptive Catalogue of the Utensils, Implements, Weapons, Ornaments, Etc., of the Indians, Mound Builders, Cliff Dwellers: Typical Collections No. 2. 1909. (See: II 286)
About This GRASAC Record
Maker, Name unrecorded. Mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass. GRASAC ID 27063. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 97-84-115A & 97-84-115B.
This information was gathered during a research visit to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, May 6, 2010. The researchers present were: Adriana Greci-Green, Stacey Loyer, and Coralie Boeykens.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on January 12, 2025.