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









This Anishinaabe mkak (box) is made from birchbark with a floral design made from quillwork and sewn together with sweetgrass. 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.
The nation is listed as "Ottawa" on the tag.
The information in this record is based on museum documentation.
Read More About This Relative
birchbark; sweetgrass; black thread; porcupine quills natural and dyed green, pink, purple and blue.
The bottom of the box is a circular 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 floral 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 circular piece of birchbark decorated with floral motifs and double tacks of natural quills, edged with sweetgrass bunches wrapped with dark thread. The first row of sweetgrass contains coloured quills.
The multi-colored quillwork forms floral motifs on the top and sides.
Gottschall collected between 1871 and 1905.
Provenance
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.
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 284)
About This GRASAC Record
Maker, Name unrecorded. Mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass. GRASAC ID 26008. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 97-84-142A & 97-84-142B.
This information was gathered during a visit to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, May 6 2010.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on November 14, 2024.