Materials

Deer skin dyed dark brown, porcupine quills (red-orange; blue-green, white, orange-yellow), dyed red deer hair; tin cones; back of bag stripped cotton cloth (cloth resembles mattress ticking)

Motifs and Patterns

Two thunderbirds and a fish in the bottom; line of diamonds of diamonds or triangle shapes in the middle; above the bag front a line of v-shapes and shallow triangles terminating in loops (perhaps horns of underwater being); double zigzag line across the top; feather lines on the wings of the thunderbirds

Other Notes

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS:
two pieces;
front and back, strap is missing;
edging done with quills, alternating sections of red blue yellow and white in a double row (stitch?)

ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS:
unusual feature of the bag is the row of v-shapes and triangles on top; and the alternation of colours in the t-bird wings and edging; very economical use of hide -- mattress ticking used in places where it can't be seen

Condition: Overall very good; but colours are a little faded

Current Location: Weltmuseum Wien, Vienna, Austria

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 11969

GKS Reference Number: 45142

How to Cite this Item

Unknown Indigenous artist, shoulder bag. Currently in the Weltmuseum Wien, Vienna, Austria, 11969. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip January 2016; GRASAC item ID 45142.

Record Creation Context

In January of 2016, a small team of GRASAC researchers visited the collection to study and photograph it: Ruth Phillips, Lisa Truong, Naomi Recollet (Anishinaabe (Odawa/Ojibwe), Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory) and Wahsontiio Cross (Mohawk, Kahnawake).