This 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 MoreIn this follow-up to our previous article on Cabinets of Curiosities, we discuss what makes an object “curious” and present some natural and ethnographic objects that fit within categories that have been of interest to curiosity collectors—and rusticators—throughout the ages.
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 MoreThese ash splint baskets were made by Penobscot basket makers in the mid-19th century, yet are in remarkably good condition.
Read MoreOne intriguing type of rustic furniture whose origins have not always been recognized was that made by Native American and First Nations men in the late 19th to early 20th centuries.
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 ornate early 20th-century Eastern Cree snow shoes have three classic types of decoration: pulled warp, wool tufts and colorful paint.
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.
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