purse
purse
purse
A small Mohawk raised beadwork purse with purple and red velvet, clear, green, red, blue and yellow beads.
Comparison to Dolores Elliot's research in "Iroquois Beadwork: A Haudenosaunee Tradition and Art."
NCCT catalogue
Read More About This Relative
Cardboard, polished cotton, velvet, glass beads, thread.
Constructed out of 6 pieces of cardboard support backing, lined inside with polished cotton. The front and back panels are almost an inverted tear drop shaped with a flat top and covered in purple velvet. The side pieces are more circular and covered in red velvet.
All edges are decorated with clear raised beading, with a red, yellow, green and blue stripe. In the centre of all four sides is a clear raised beaded circular motif, there are also two clear raised beaded circular motifs on the lid. Loops of clear beads form a fringe around the bottom edge.
Date unknown but early 20th century range determined by reference to Dolores Elliot's article "Iroquois Beadwork: A Haudenosaunee Tradition and Art"
Provenance
The provenance of this purse is unknown. It was accessioned and catalogued into the NCCT's collection in 2012 by Emma Knight but there is not record as to how and when it came to the NCCT. It is possible that they were part of a large donation to the NCCT from the Anglican Church Women in 1976, however the purse does not have the ACW tags attached that the rest of the ACW donation does.
About This GRASAC Record
Unknown Mohawk artist, beaded purse. Currently at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, 2012.1.3. NCCT Archive; GRASAC item id 27350.
The information found in these records was generated as a part of a research project entitled Memory, Meaning-making and Collections in which Anishinaabe and Cree seniors engaged in handling sessions with objects in the collection of the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. As a research partnership between the University of Toronto and the NCCT, these sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Additional information was collected through archival, secondary and comparative research methods. An archive of the project is stored with First Story Toronto at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. For more information on archived interviews or archival material please contact Dr. Cara Krmpotich.
45.6426, -85.036
Raised Haudenosaunee beadwork style