Birchbark Tray, Card Tray
date: label: Accession Date
content: 18 Jun 1913
name: label: Donor Name
content: Mrs. S E. Cummings
notes: label: Notes
content: From card: "Of 5 sections of bark, around the rectangular center the border is made of 4 sections, mitred at the corners, and bent into a convex upper surface to form a shallow tray. Whole is decorated in spaced floral designs in multicolored very fine moosehair embroidery. As of 1964 one corner is split open and two other sides are badly broken. Had been in Div. of Am. Costume & Textiles, returned Eth. 10/1964. Card Tray - Ruth Whitehead, Nova Scotia Museum 12/4/1978. "Birchbark, moosehair, cotton thread. Rectangular card tray of five panels of birchbark: the central panel is rectangular, the outer four are trapezoidal, with the smaller edge in, and have a slight convex curve. They are seamed to the centre panel with cotton thread, and edged with lengths of white moosehair, overswen with thread. All five panels are embroidered with moosehair in floral motifs." R.H.W. Loaned to Nova Scotia Museum 10/1/79. Returnd 4/11/80. Loaned to Oatlands 9-6-83. Returned 9-20-83."
label: Notes
content: Has been identified as Micmac, but an alternate ID would be Huron (Wendat). Embroidered birch bark trays are commonly seen as tourist items made by Native people of the Quebec region for tourism purposes, trading, and sale to collectors. Birchbark containers embroidered with moosehair were one of the specialties of Huron/Wendat women. The Micmac/Mi'kmaq made similar ones, but theirs were decorated with porcupine quillwork in geometric motifs. Sources: Bruchac, Margaret, and Liliana Gurry. “Moose Hair Embroidered Birchbark Trays: French, Native, or Both.” Penn Museum Blog, November 9, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2022, from https://www.penn.museum/blog/museum/moose-hair-embroidered-birchbark-trays-french-native-or-both/ . Sioui, Linda. “The Huron-Wendat Craft Industry from the 19th Century to Today.” Musée McCord Museum, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2022 from http://collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca/scripts/printtour.php?tourID=cw_huronwendat_en&Lang=2 .
label: Record Last Modified
content: 28 Mar 2022
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Nova Scotia (not certain), Canada, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Micmac (Mi'kmaq) (?)
label: Culture
content: Huron (Wendat) (?)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 055589
label: USNM Number
content: E278304-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Bark Container