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Pouch, belt
Pouch, belt
Pouch, belt
This relative, a belt pouch, is composed of natural vegetable fibre and decorated with moosehair embroidery technique as well as glass beads, silk ribbon, and metal cones. It was collected by British Army officer Jasper Grant between 1800 and 1809, during which time he was stationed in Canada for his military service. The origins of this relative are not certain; however, it has probable connections to the Wyandot.
This relative currently resides at the National Museum of Ireland.
Wyandot (?)
Although false embroidery worked in moosehair is most closely identified with eastern Great Lakes peoples such as the Hodenosaunee, the geometric motifs on this rare moosehair embroidered belt pouch are more typical of the central Great Lakes peoples.
This record was informed by GRASAC research notes.
Read More About This Relative
Natural vegetable fibre; glass beads, white; silk ribbon, green; moosehair, orange, blue, natural white; metal cones; red-dyed animal hair; hide; commercial thread.
Moosehair embroiderey technique
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 a research trip to the National Museum of Ireland on unrecorded date.
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, belt. GRASAC ID: 1243. National Museum of Ireland Collection NMI 1902.321
This record was augmented by Dana Murray on February 4, 2025. It was informed by notes collected by GRASAC researchers during a visit to the National Museum of Ireland, date unrecorded.
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.