Description:
Missionary Cabinet. Miniature basket or "mokuk" made of birch bark with white, blue, orange, and green floral curvilinear porcupine quill design. Traces of a sweet-smelling blackened substance within. Around the top is a wooden band, stitched on by twine. A length of twine is also tied across the top of the basket, holding the two sides together. The bottom appears to be reinforced with another layer of bark, which is peeling away on both of the smaller sides. “Basket of maple sugar made by the Indians” is written on the bottom in black ink. Very likely related to MH 2003.26.1, which is #6 in the “Catalogue of Cabinet of Articles sent by Missionaries to Mt. Hol. Fem. Sem. all before 1892” under American Indians.

Tags:
Native American; indigenous people; trees; animals

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=MH+2003.26.2

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.