Materials

Home-tanned moose or deer hide, velvet, silk ribbon, silk embroidery thread, moose or horse hair trim wrapped in cotton, cotton print material, cotton thread, glass seed beads, cotton bias tape has been added to the cuff.

Techniques or Format

Moccasins are constructed with a pointed toe and centre front seam, puckered around the velvet/velveteen vamp. The moccasins have attached cuffs and T-backed heel seams.

Motifs and Patterns

The moccasins are beaded with floral motifs, each vamp has a two petal flower encased in two silver leaves, a blue bud or berry and a red and green flower bud with a silver stem. Each cuff is also decorated with blue, silver, yellow and white floral designs on a silver stem. On the back of each heel is a red five petal flower with a yellow centre.

Dimensions: 22.5 × 13 × 0 cm

Condition: Fair: The silk ribbon edging has disintegrated to threads and is very fragile, the beadwork is intact, velvet/velveteen is dirty but overall the moccasins are stable.

Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Research undertaken by a former NCCT staff member indicates the moccasins are early to mid 20th century because of the greasy yellow and blue coloured beads which led her to the early 20th century attribution. These moccasins are also similar to a pair (1/6937) in the National Museum of the American Indian's collection which are dated circa 1890.

Current Location: Native Canadian Centre of Toronto

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 2002.1.14-1-2

Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 2002

Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Unknown

Collection Narratives and Histories

The provenance of these moccasins is unknown. They were accessioned and catalogued into the NCCT's collection in 2002 by Monica Bodirsky but there is not record as to how or when they came to the NCCT. It is possible that they were part of a large donation to the NCCT from the Anglican Church Women in 1976, however these moccasins and 2002.1.13-1-2 do not have the ACW tags attached that the rest of the donation does.

Related language items in the GKS: mkizin

GKS Reference Number: 27349

How to Cite this Item

Unknown Anishinaabe artist, moccasins. Currently at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, 2002.1.14-1-2. Information obtained from conversations with former NCCT History Project Coordinator June Allison, Monica Bodirsky's notes and research undertaken by Emma Knight; GRASAC item id 27349.

Record Creation Context

The information found in these records was generated as a part of a research project entitled Memory, Meaning-making and Collections in which Anishinaabe and Cree seniors engaged in handling sessions with objects in the collection of the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. As a research partnership between the University of Toronto and the NCCT, these sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Additional information was collected through archival, secondary and comparative research methods. An archive of the project is stored with First Story Toronto at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. For more information on archived interviews or archival material please contact Dr. Cara Krmpotich.