naabkawaagan necklace

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Introduction

This naabkawaagan (naabkwewaagan, necklace) is part of a war bundle. It is made from two strips of deer hide, pieced together with a short strip of blue and white cotton. There are 49 deer dew claws attached to it. In addition to the naabkawaagan, the bundle contains a miniature baagndibe'gan (war club), feet and tail of a mshiikenh (snapping turtle), deerskin ball, headdress, rattle, and bandolier sash. The bundle was collected by M.G. Chandler in Bkejwanong, Walpole Island, where local knowledge connected the bundle to Pontiac. The subsequent collector, Richard A. Pohrt thought the bundle was not old enough for this connection and thought the bundle might be related to Tecumseh instead. This relative and bundle currently reside at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Traditional Knowledge Label

TK Culturally Sensitive

This material has cultural and/or historical sensitivities

Nation of Maker: Odawa

Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

DIA records

Place of Origin: Michigan, USA

Date Made or Date Range: 1700s

Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

Detroit Institute of Arts records

Read More About This Relative

Materials

deerskin, cotton and dew claws

Techniques or Format

Necklace is composed of two deerskin strips, pieced with short cotton strip (blue and white striped), which are fringed along one edge. Decorated with forty nine dew claws.

Other Notes

Item found in war bundle: See also 81.174.1-13

Dimensions: 34 × 3 × 0 in

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

DIA records

Provenance

Current Location: Detroit Institute of Arts, MI, USA

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 81.174.6

Collection at Current Location: Chandler Pohrt Collection

Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1981

Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Richard A. Pohrt

Collection Narratives and Histories

Collected by M. G. Chandler at Walpole Island, Ontario. Local tradition indicated this was part of the war bundle of Pontiac, Ottawa chief. According to Pohrt, the material is not old enough to have belonged to Pontiac; Chandler's informant may have meant Tecumseh.

Source for Provenance information

DIA records