tray, wiigwaas and sweetgrass

tray, wiigwaas and sweetgrass

tray, wiigwaas and sweetgrass

top image
Images
Introduction

This relative is an Anishinaabe (possibly Ojibwe) wiigwaas (birchbark) and sweetgrass tray, from Northern Michigan. Composed of second growth wiigwaas, sweetgrass, olive green thread, and purple wooden splint, this relative is bound in a zig-zag pattern along the outer edge of the tray. 

It was 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.

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

Listed as being "Chippewa" (Ojibwe) on card.

Place of Origin: Michigan (Northern Michigan), USA
Date Made or Date Range: Before 1905
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

The information in this record is based on museum documentation.

Materials

second growth birch bark; birchbark; sweetgrass; olive green thread; wooden splint, purple

Techniques or Format

A circular bottom panel of birchbark, with the second growth piece on the inside, edged with a purple splint, followed by rows of bunched sweetgrass wrapped with thread. There is one row of zig-zag sweetgrass bunches. The last row of bunched sweetgrass also contains a line of purple splint.

Motifs and Patterns

Sweetgrass is bound in a zig-zag pattern along the outer edge of the tray.

Other Notes

This tray is one of a pair with Penn 97-84-139.

Dimensions: 19.7 × 18.9 × 4 cm
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Gottschall collected between 1871 and 1905.

Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 97-84-140 (Penn number); L-84-140 (old museum number); 18021 (ANS number); II 263 (Gottschall number)
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/270069
Collection at Current Location: Amos H. Gottschall Collection
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1997
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

This tray was 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. 2. 1909. (See: II 263)

GKS Reference Number: 25411
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Tray, wiigwaas and sweetgrass. GRASAC ID 25411. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 97-84-140.

Record Creation Context

This information was gathered during a GRASAC research visit to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology on May 6, 2010.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on March 5, 2025.

Do You Have Knowledge to Contribute? Share with Us.