mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass

mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass

mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass

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Introduction

This Anishinaabe mkak (box) is made from wiigwaas (birchbark) with a floral design made from kaawyikewin (quillwork). The bark is 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.

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

Gottschall's catalogue lists the mkak as being "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 comes from museum documentation.

Materials

birchbark; sweetgrass; black thread; porcupine quills natural and dyed yellow, green, red, blue/purple and orange; split root (cedar or spruce).

Techniques or Format

The bottom of the box is a oval 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 thistle 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 lid is an oval piece of birchbark decorated with floral motifs and double tacks of natural quills, edged with sweetgrass bunches wrapped with dark thread. The sweetgrass parts are edged with a single line of split root.

Motifs and Patterns

The kaawyikewin forms thistles and floral motifs.

Dimensions: 13.9 × 10 × 8.3 cm
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: 97-84-134A (box); 97-84-134B (box lid); L-84-134A-B (old museum numbers); 18101 (ANS number); I 1673 (Gottschall number)
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/212514
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: 1871 to 1905
Collection Narratives and Histories

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.

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 1673)

GKS Reference Number: 26142
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Mkak, box, birchbark and sweetgrass. GRASAC ID 26142. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 97-84-134A & 97-84-134B.

Record Creation Context

This information was gathered during a research visit to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, May 6 2010.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on December 6, 2024.

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