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Pouch
Pouch
Pouch
This relative, a pouch, is composed of blue stroud and silk ribbon. Backed with hide, it is decorated in woven quill work and beads. This relative was collected by British Army officer Jasper Grant between 1800 and 1809, during which time he was stationed in Canada. The origins of the pouch are not certain; however, it has probable connections to the Red River Métis-Cree.
This relative currently resides at the National Museum of Ireland.
Possibly Red River Metis-Cree in origin.
GRASAC researcher notes: Hide pouches of this type, with appliqued bands of woven quillwork, are used by a number of peoples in the Canadian sub-Arctic including the Swampy Cree and Chipeweyan. They were used to carry ammunition and fire making equipment. In the early nineteenth century, the Red River Métis produced a version of the pouch using trade cloth instead of hide for the body of the pouch and adding woollen tassels and glass beads.
This record was informed by GRASAC research notes.
Read More About This Relative
Blue stroud; silk ribbon, blue, white, and pink; woven porcupine quill,blue, white, red, yellow, black; backed with hide; ravelled red wool threads; opaque white and translucent blue beads; vegetable fibre thread (?); black woollen cloth partition inside pouch.
Appliqued bands of woven quillwork
Jasper Grant served as commandant of Fort George in the Niagara Peninsula and of Fort Malden at Amherstburg opposite Detroit from 1800-1809.
Provenance
Jasper Grant (1762-1812), Anglo-Irish officer who spent 9 years in Canada between 1800-1809. Served as commandant of Fort George in the Niagara Peninsula and of Fort Malden at Amherstburg opposite Detroit. It is likely that his wife, Isabella Grant, played a significant role in the collection of items given her close relationship to Madeline Askin Richardson, the daughter of a prominent fur trader and merchant with extensive ties to the surrounding Indigenous communities.
GRASAC researcher notes from research trip to the National Museum of Ireland.
In 1984-1985 the Jasper Grant Collection was featured in a special travelling exhibition for the Ontario bicentennial, which was organized by the McMichael Canadian Collection and entitled "Patterns of Power."
Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg,On.: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984.
Philips, Ruth B. (1986-87). “Jasper Grant and Edward Walsh: the Gentleman-Soldier as Early Collector of Great Lakes Indian Art.” Journal of Canadian Studies 21(4): 56-71.
About This GRASAC Record
Maker, Name unrecorded. Pouch. GRASAC ID 1238. National Museum of Ireland Collection NMI 1902.320.
This record was augmented by Dana Murray on February 3, 2025. It was informed by GRASAC research notes collected during a visit to the National Museum of Ireland, date unrecorded.
42.107229371741, -83.11337499075
This information was informed by the following resource: Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, On.: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984. Fort Walden is identified on the map as a possible origin for this relative, but this reflects only one place where the relative may have lived. It is not a known place of origin; it is only one location associated with where the collector, Jasper Grant, served in the British Army.