pwaagan, pipe bowl and stem

pwaagan, pipe bowl and stem

pwaagan, pipe bowl and stem

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Introduction

This relative is a black stone pwaagan (pipe) bowl carved in the shape of a human head and short wooden stem. While the precise origins of this pwaagan bowl are not certain, it has probable ties to the Anishinaabe.

This relative was collected at Cass Lake, Minnesota by Amos H. Gottschall between 1871 and 1905. Gottschall's collection was likely left to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANS) sometime before 1937. ANS formally gifted the collection to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1997, where this relative currently resides.

Name of Maker(s): Maker Unrecorded
Maker role: Artist
Nation of Maker: Anishinaabe Ojibwe
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

This pwaagan was collected in Cass Lake, Minnesota, which is part of the Leech Lake Reservation. Gottschall's catalogue also says it is "Chippewa" (Ojibwe).

Place of Origin: Cass Lake, MI
Date Made or Date Range: 1800s to 1900s
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

The information in this record is based on museum documentation.

Materials

Black stone; white pigment; red paint; wood (possibly ash)

Techniques or Format

Black stone has been carved as a narrow human face with a bowl in the top of the face and a stem hole in the back of the head. The wooden stem is flat, rectangular in sections, and flares slightly in the middle with convex surfaces. The lower flange is perforated.

Motifs and Patterns

The pwaagan bowl is carved with a human face.

Other Notes

In the pictures on the Penn Museum database, it appears to be a different bowl. (3/23/25)

Dimensions: 26.7 × 2.4 × 0 cm
Condition: They are in good condition.
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

The collector, Amos Gottschall, made collecting trips between 1871 and 1905.

Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 97-84-2082.1 (bowl); 97-84-2082.1 (stem); L-84-2082 (old museum number); 17926 (ANS number); I 381 (Gottschall number)
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/563719
Collection at Current Location: Amos H. Gottschall Collection
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1936 (loan); 1997 (gift)
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Gift of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1997
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: 1871 to 1905
Collection Narratives and Histories

They were collected by Amos H. Gottschall between 1871 and 1905. His collection was likely left to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANS) sometime before 1937. ANS formally gifted the collection to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1997, where this relative currently resides.

Source for Provenance information

Museum documentation.

Publication History

Gottschall, Amos H. Priced and Descriptive Catalogue of the Utensils, Implements, Weapons, Ornaments, Etc., of the Indians, Mound Builders, Cliff Dwellers: Typical Collections No. 1. 1909. (See: I 381)

GKS Reference Number: 25821
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Pwaagan, pipe bowl and stem. GRASAC ID 25821. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 97-84-2082.1 & 97-84-2082.2.

Record Creation Context

This information was gathered during a GRASAC site research visit by Alan Corbiere, David Penney, Stacey Loyer, Ruth Phillips and William Wierzbowski (curator) on December 2, 2009.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on March 23, 2025.

Approximate Place of Origin

47.385579588984, -94.603633638103

Source of Information about Places

The pin is placed on the Cass Lake Facility Center to represent Cass Lake as a whole. It is not a known place of origin. 

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