Materials

moose hide, opaque and semi-translucent round beads, leather, sinew, thread

Techniques or Format

U-shaped, Smoked tanned moose hide, Two panels for front and back, Sewn together with reinforcement strip, Small rectangular panel sewn to top edge of back panel with sinew and thread to create a front flap which folds over top edge of front panel, Front panel is completely covered with opaque and semi-translucent round beads, applied with sinew in lazy (lane) stitch technique, Consists of geometric designs on a blue background, Front has two navy blue hourglass shaped figures outlined in yellow with small area of pink, each hourglass figure has two small pink rectangles at bottom edge, Along sides and bottom is an inner band border of pink beads, Flap has yellow diamonds and triangles outlined in navy blue, with a loop stitch edging of navy blue beads, Handle is two straps of braided leather, The two Straps are knotted together at the middle and sewn to bag at top corners; Fringed tassel at middle where two straps knotted together.

Motifs and Patterns

Geometric designs on blue background, Front has two navy blue hourglass shaped figures outlined in yellow with small area of pink, Each hourglass figure has two small pink rectangles at bottom edge, Along sides and bottom is an inner band border of pink beads, Flap has yellow diamonds and triangles outlined in navy blue, with a loop stitch edging of navy blue beads.

Original and Subsequent Uses

Identified as a medicine bag

Dimensions: 10.5 × 10.3 × 0 cm

Condition: Good, Areas of missing beads, red stains on hide

Current Location: Manitoba Museum, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: HBC 005-27

Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://manitobamuseum.ca/main/collections-research/collections-database/

Collection at Current Location: Hudson's Bay Company Museum Collection

Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 2004/01/11

Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Acquired from great granddaughter of Nathaniel Murdock William John McKenzie.

Previous Collectors: Nathaniel Murdock William John McKenzie

Collection Narratives and Histories

Nathaniel Murdock William John McKenzie was born on Dec. 5, 1857 in Stromness, Orkney Islands. He took a contract with the HBC in 1876 as a carpenter serving at Fort Ellice in Southwestern Manitoba. He rose through the ranks from this position to Post Manager, Clerk in Charge, Clerk and Trader, and finally District Manager for the Lake Huron and Lake Superior regions. He retired briefly June 1, 1893 and then returned into the service until 1914. During his employment, he worked in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and in the northern Great Lakes region.

Source for Provenance information

Note that came acquisition of the pouch.

GKS Reference Number: 58883

How to Cite this Item

Manitoba Museum