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women's aasan, leggings
women's aasan, leggings
women's aasan, leggings
These red stroud women's aasan (leggings) are decorated with linear beadwork of white seed beads. Records indicate that the museum purchased the aasan from Elizabeth McMurray, great-granddaughter of Ozhaguscodaywayquay (Susan Johnston) who was an Ojibwe woman and political figure and the daughter of Waubojeeg, an ogimaa (civil leader.) The records suggest Ozhaguscodaywayquay was the original owner of the aasan. The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology purchased them in 1925 and this is where they currently reside.
The original owner Ozhaguscodaywayquay was Ojibwe.
Museum documentation
Information was gathered during on site observation and using original accession log on PMAE website.
Read More About This Relative
Fine red stroud. Formerly black rateen (as identified by the ridged effect of weft; often made of combo of linen warp with worsted weft). Size 11 white seed beads. Printed cotton in brown and red.
The rateen has mitered corners. The cuff is reinforced inside with a narrow strip of printed cotton. Only the outline of the beadwork goes through all the layers.
The beadwork patterns appear to be identical on all 4 sides except that one does not have the horn-like ( "V" ) feature at the top of the running oval motif. Alan Corbiere suggests there is also a possible cowrie reference in the V feature. GRASAC researchers observed the patterns are also suggestive of Underwater. There are 26 running oval designs (13 on each side), diamonds inside those, and running horn-like (V) features. They also observed a design sensibility of a vibrating line of saw-tooth pattern inside the ovals and edging outside so that the whole thing vibrates with energy, emanating power.
Rateen was used by fur traders wives, and was used in England as mourning cloth.
Museum documentation
Provenance
Elizabeth McMurray is listed as the second owner of the leggings in the Museum's records. The only other named owner, prior to McMurray, is Susan Johnston (Ozhaguscodaywayquay) who was McMurray's great-grandmother.
Museum documentation
About This GRASAC Record
Unknown Chippewa/Ojibwe Maker. Women's aasan, leggings. GKS ID 58967. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, catalogue number 25-29-10/98195.
Cory Willmott, Alan Corbiere, Adrianna Grecci Green and David Penney conducted research on site at the Peabody Museum for Archaeology and Ethnology in July 2007 with help from Susan Haskell and Patricia Capone of the PMAE. Cory Willmott's research was funded by a grant from the American Philosophical Society. Al Corbiere was supported through Ruth Phillips's SSHRC Canada Research Chair Funding. An internal grant from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provided Cory with an RA, Ceara Horsley, for 2009 and 2010 to work on GRASAC data entry.
Sheila Wheesk contributed additional information to the record, building on available museum documentation.
Cara Krmpotich identified two records for these same leggings, and combined the content into one record on May 31, 2024. The second record (GKS ID 26505) was archived and unpublished.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on November 22, 2024.
46.499115163562, -84.338165051014
Although we do not know the original maker of the assan, Ozhaguscodaywayquay was the first owner. She lived a large part of her life in this house in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. The house is now maintained as a historic site.