This impressively large bentwood box with an elaborately embellished top is known as a Mi’kmaq bride’s box. We explore the context of its origins in Nova Scotia in the early 1800s, and describe how its form and decoration relate to other examples of early Mi’kmaq craftsmanship.
Read MoreThis birch bark canoe model was made over 100 years ago by a Native American man who not only skillfully replicated a traditional form of tribal watercraft, but also graced it with his own distinctive artwork. This article describes the canoe model in the context of what is known about its maker and his larger cultural context.
Read MoreThese 19th century miniature canoe paddles are models of Eastern Cree paddles that were used by voyageurs to transport furs for the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Read MorePictorial etchings that decorate a birch bark backrest made in the early 20th century by Passamaquoddy artist and guide Tomah Joseph document aspects of his tribe’s lifestyle, including their interaction with non-native rusticators—represented as passengers sitting in his canoe as he paddles them to see an offshore attraction.
Read MoreThis antique birch bark canoe is only 12’ long—a desirable size for displaying indoors. It was made in the 1920s by an Eastern Cree canoe builder in the James Bay region of Quebec.
Read MoreThese ash splint baskets were made by Penobscot basket makers in the mid-19th century, yet are in remarkably good condition.
Read MoreThis early Native American feast ladle incorporating a carved hawk effigy is an artifact of Iroquois ceremonial culture which embodies clan identity and symbolic meaning.
Read MoreThese Tlingit snow shoes were acquired by an explorer during an adventure in the Pacific Northwest Coast in 1897.
Read MoreThese smoothly-shaped and well-patinated wooden forms have a surprising connection to the turn-of-20th-century rusticator movement, as well as to Native American history.
Read MoreAn array of spring colors and imagery decorate this masterful example of Iroquois beadwork in the form of a calling card wallet. As with all native American artwork, this example from the 1840s was created in a social and cultural context that creates an intriguing historical narrative.
Read MoreThis 6’ long early 20th century Abnaki birch bark canoe is an unusually large size for a scale model, so draws positive attention as a component of rustic room decor.
Read MoreThis mid-19th century Mik’maq quillwork seat panel is not only an excellent example of the form, it also carries the provenance of a distinguished British collector.
Read MoreThese ornate early 20th-century Eastern Cree snow shoes have three classic types of decoration: pulled warp, wool tufts and colorful paint.
Read MoreThe Native American game of snow snakes is centuries old, but is still enjoyed by tribes living in regions with snowy winters where they use snow snakes much like these antique versions.
Read MoreEtching designs and pictorial stories onto birch bark is a traditional technique that Native American woodlands tribes used to decorate objects they made to sell to white settlers and tourists.
Read MoreAlthough this circa 1880s Woodlands crooked knife was made to be used as a woodworking tool, its human hand shape transcends its utilitarian purpose, making it an exquisite example of Native American art.
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