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Native American ➔ Birchbark Basket
Identifier:
1994.83.3Description:
A small birchbark basket or box, probably made by an Indigenous person for the tourist trade. Six vertical panels, each trimmed with sweetgrass and cut to a point on one end, are sewn together to form the sides of the basket. This construction is then sewn to a six-sided, flat piece of bark to form the base. The point or tip of each of the side pieces is bent out and downward and a small pine cone is sewn to hang from each tip. Each side panel is then decorated with a simple porcupine quill pattern for decoration. There is some indication of additional porcupine work on the upper areas of each panel; however, the exact purpose of these quills is no longer apparent.Date:
1920 – 1994Materials:
Birchbark, Sweetgrass, Porcupine Quill, ThreadDimensions:
4" h 6.5" w 6.5" dCurrent Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Gift Of John H. UhlRelated Entity:
John Howard Uhl (donor)John Howard Uhl was part of the United States Navy Reserve and served as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy during World War II. Later in life he would serve as Senior Vice President and Legal Counsel for the Trust Department of the Michigan National Bank and as a board member and president of the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
