Dublin Core
Title
Birch Bark Box
Object
container
Culture
Ojibwe
Brief Description
Round birch bark lidded box with dense red-brown, orange, yellow, and white quillwork on lid and sides.
Description
Round birch bark lidded box with dense red-brown, orange, yellow, and white quillwork on lid and sides.
1. Form: The lid quillwork features an 8-pointed star in many layers of color. In the center is a star of yellow spanning 1 inch. This is outlined by a layer of orange, then red-brown, then alternating orange and red-brown. The entire star spans nearly 4.5 inches. A ring of white circles around the star, and the spaces between the points are filled with crosshatched white. A band goes around the outside of the lid, with a ring of orange bordering the outside. Around the inside of the band is a repeated design of 9 white quills lined up vertically and bunched together in the middle by a red-brown band. In the diamond-shaped spaces between these are 10-point asterisks which alternate in color between orange and red-brown. along the sides are 2 bands (top and bottom) of the same pattern. Sweet grass is wrapped around the top and bottom of the lid, top and bottom of the base, and middle of the base - bound by black stitching which holds the box together. The inside is lined with bark to hide the quill ends.
2. Material and Color:
Birch bark - medium brown (R213 G157 B83)
Cotton thread - black
Sweet grass - faded yellow (R235 G214 B186) and tinged green
Quills - white, yellow (R232 G197 B93), red-brown (R146 G70 B26), Orange (R218 G124 B67)
3. Construction: Bark was cut, bent, and stitched into shape.
4. Decoration: Quillwork decorates the top and sides, sweet grass is wrapped around the edges.
5. Skill/Care: Indicates high skill level; expert quillwork, lining is neat and tight
6. Condition: Very good: negligible wear, label on bottom.
1. Form: The lid quillwork features an 8-pointed star in many layers of color. In the center is a star of yellow spanning 1 inch. This is outlined by a layer of orange, then red-brown, then alternating orange and red-brown. The entire star spans nearly 4.5 inches. A ring of white circles around the star, and the spaces between the points are filled with crosshatched white. A band goes around the outside of the lid, with a ring of orange bordering the outside. Around the inside of the band is a repeated design of 9 white quills lined up vertically and bunched together in the middle by a red-brown band. In the diamond-shaped spaces between these are 10-point asterisks which alternate in color between orange and red-brown. along the sides are 2 bands (top and bottom) of the same pattern. Sweet grass is wrapped around the top and bottom of the lid, top and bottom of the base, and middle of the base - bound by black stitching which holds the box together. The inside is lined with bark to hide the quill ends.
2. Material and Color:
Birch bark - medium brown (R213 G157 B83)
Cotton thread - black
Sweet grass - faded yellow (R235 G214 B186) and tinged green
Quills - white, yellow (R232 G197 B93), red-brown (R146 G70 B26), Orange (R218 G124 B67)
3. Construction: Bark was cut, bent, and stitched into shape.
4. Decoration: Quillwork decorates the top and sides, sweet grass is wrapped around the edges.
5. Skill/Care: Indicates high skill level; expert quillwork, lining is neat and tight
6. Condition: Very good: negligible wear, label on bottom.
Dimension 1
6" W
Dimension 2
6" D
Dimension 3
2.5" H
Material
bark(birch) fiber(sweet grass) cotton quill(porcupine)
Construction
cut bent stitched
Decoration
quillwork wrapped(fiber)
Condition
V GOOD lbl
Source
Ostrom, Elinor -bequest
Collector
Ostrom, Elinor and Vincent
Accession Number
MM249.005
Old Number
MM249.005 CAC#B-13 OC#288
Type
artifact
State
Ontario
Country
Canada
Continent
North America
Comments Object History
2012 INV: Campus Art Collection Room=Basement; 2014 CAT REV: Information from Elinor Ostrom/Carol Parks spreadsheet:
Ostrom # 288
Ostrom # 288
Provenance
This item is from the collections of the Mathers Museum of World Cultures.