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moccasins
moccasins
moccasins
Moccassins made of smoked, dyed dark brown deer-hide, and velvet with silk ribbon, with a paper insert in the cuff. Beadwork on the vamps and cuffs feature stylized floral designs. There are also five beaded equal armed crosses. Collected by Martin Pitzer, this item is currently housed at the Weltmuseum Wien in Vienna, Austria.
In Martin Pitzer's "Index of Objects and Woks of an American Indian Tribe in the Far North, Together With a Description of the Same," he writes that the items in this book are from "the north ‐ eastern part of North America, and is called the tribe of the Otawahs, or Ottawas" (35).
GRASAC research notes created during an onsite visit to Weltmuseum in January of 2016.
Read More About This Relative
Smoked dyed dark brown deer-hide; white beads, ribbon (blue, red, green) applique, brown and green silk; velvet; paper insert in the cuff.
Cuff: base of navy wool, paper insert, green silk, applique and beadwork on top; stitches underneath are covered with a dark green cotton that is brought round the ankle and attached to the hide;, green cotton appears to be a recycled cloth -- moccasin B is hand stitched, but moccasin A shows an edging that appears to be folded and machine stitched Vamp: moccassin B backing is black wool; mcc A vamp underneath is a floral cotton fabric (possibly mattress ticking); black velvet ribbons tied in a bow on top.
According to an assessment by Wahsontiio Cross during a GRASAC visit to the Weltmuseum Wien, the floral design on the vamp may depict a thistle. The cuff has geometric / abstract/ stylized floral; with beaded equal armed crosses (5).
Martin Pitzer collected this item, possibly when he travelled to the Great Lakes in the 1850s.
Provenance
Austrian church painter Martin Pitzer travelled to the Great Lakes region, to "the Ottawa villages of Arbre Croche and Cross Village" in the early 1850s. He collected a significant number of items and brought them back to Austria to be part of an exhibition to raise money for the mission.
About This GRASAC Record
Unknown Odawa artist, moccassins. Currently in the Weltmuseum Wien, Vienna, Austria, 131756ab. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip January 2016; GRASAC item id 59046.
In January of 2016, a small team of GRASAC researchers visited the collection to study and photograph it: Ruth Phillips, Lisa Truong, Naomi Recollet (Anishinaabe (Odawa/Ojibwe), Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory) and Wahsontiio Cross (Mohawk, Kahnawake). This GKS record was created in January of 2022 by GRASAC RA Aidan Mitchell-Boudreau.