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34 ORNAMENT 33.4.2010 While seekingtorescuefromoblivion“one ofNorthAmerica’smostdynamic indigenous textiletraditions,”theMaine State Museumexhibitionorganizers also wishedtohighlightthecurrentefforts torevivenativetraditions. Wabanaki Textiles, Clothing and Costume

Carl Little 6/21/10 4:12 PM 33_4_UncommonThreads4.CB.indd 35 StateMuseum. silver brooches. She wearstraditionalcostume,includingpeakedhatandsometrade [Neptune]—Governor ofPassamaquoddy,EastportSept18th,1817.” WATERCOLOR OFDENN,“Denn—daughterofFrancisJoseph Peninsula, alandmasssituatedbetweentheGulfofSt. and imagesrelatedtothetribesthatinhabitMaritime that offersinsightintoaremarkableculture. a little-knownandgenerallyoverlookedbodyofmaterials comprehensive considerationofthesubjecttodate,covering at theMaineStateMuseuminAugustaoffersmost Navajo, PuebloorPacificNorthwestpeoples.Thisexhibition to theresearchdevotedmaterialcultureof,say, and expandingfieldofstudy—andrelativelyyoungcompared coped withtheirrapidlychangingworld.” history, theirmeansofcommunication,andthewaysthey and LaureenLaBar,“findinformationthatilluminatestheir ornament, onecan,inthewordsofcuratorsBruceBourque Wabanaki costume,includingspecificstylesanddecorative accompanying booksetouttoproveathesis.Byexamining Sepsis. CourtesyofTheNationalMuseum theAmericanIndian,SmithsonianInstitution1_2855.Photographby ErnestAmoroso. CHIEF’SCOAT, withelaborateribbon-appliquéandbeadwork,madearound1833 foraPassamaquoddynamedSol The show,throughSeptember4,2010,focusesonobjects The interpretationofWabanakitextilesisanongoing Wabanaki Textiles, Clothing and Costume and its Wabanaki Textiles,ClothingandCostumeits ethnographic, theexhibitionUncommonThreads: t oncehistorical,cultural,anthropological,and Collection ofColonialWilliamsburg.Courtesythe University ofPennsylvaniaMuseumArchaeologyandAnthropology. PEAKEDCAP,late1700sorearly1800s. Red Paintcemetery,afourthousandyear-oldburialsitein ceremonial slatelancetips,calledbayonets,fromtheOverlock on asupple,fibrouscomponent.” fabrics, theyincludedartifacts“whosestructuredepends settled onabroaddefinitionoftextiles.Inadditiontowoven in interiorMaineontheKennebecRiver).Thecurators Maritime Peninsula,butwasalsothenameofatribethatlived sometimes usedtodesignatealltribalpopulationsonthe (Wabanaki isavariantoftheearliertermAbenaki,whichwas present andsoencompassespre-Wabanakimaterials southeastern QuebecandMaine. divided. Today,theareaencompassesMaritimeProvinces, ownership ethos,bordersweredrawnandthepeninsula arrival oftheEuropeanswiththeirmapmakingand , Micmac,Penobscot,andPassamaquoddy.Withthe in theeighteenthcentury,whichincludedfourtribes: peninsula wasthehomeofWabanakiConfederacy,formed Lawrence andtheGulfofMaine.Abroadterritory, Among themostunusualdisplaysisagroupoffive Uncommon Threadsstretchesfromprehistorytothe Loaned bythe

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36 ORNAMENT 33.4.2010 fauna andcouldtransformeverythingfrombarkgrass nature tosurvivethe“seasonalround.”Theyknewfloraand wampum, andvarioustwinedbags. tumpline (a“burdenstrap”tocarryobjects),lacrossesticks, by thevarietyofobjects,includingsnowshoes,basketry,a That theWabanakilivedina“wovenworld”isdemonstrated have comprisedoverhalfof[Wabanaki]materialculture.” State Museum,notethat,broadlydefined,“textilesmaywell chief curatorofhistoryanddecorativeartsattheMaine textile pattern. on thesurfaceofstone,offeringaglimpseanearly mat orbag,whichovertimedecayedandleft“ghost”images Warren, Maine.Thebayonetswereburiedwithatwined Historical Society. twining, falseembroidery. around 1785;Indianhemp,dyed porcupinequills, WALLET byMollyockett(MarieAgathe), anAbenaki, The Wabanakidrewontheirintimateknowledgeof Bourque andLaBar,respectivelychiefarchaeologist olcino h an Collection oftheMaine gift totheWabanakirelated treaties.FrenchandBritish be knowninMaineas“annuity cloth”asitwaspartofayearly coats, leggingsandotherhabiliment. Broadclothcameto which theyintegratedintotheirclothingandcostume. and craftways,theywereintroducedtomanynewmaterials, War in1763.Whilethenativeartisansmaintainedtheirdesigns European contact,inparticularfollowingtheSevenYears finds toscholarlypurchases.” recoveries towartrophiestouristsouvenirsfleamarket varied,” thecuratorsnote,“rangingfromarcheological collections inthepastseveraldecades.“Theiroriginsareindeed in the1980s.Asteadystreamofobjectshasenteredpublic relatively recentphenomenon,withfocusedattentionstarting in interpretation. new discoveriesandsomeoftheadvancesthathavebeenmade underpinnings oftheartifacts.Theyalsoeagerlyshared confirming attributionsanddecipheringthesocialsymbolic to their subjectandthemanyunknownsthatremainin research. Theyunderscoredthescarcityofmaterialsrelated Bourque andLaBartookturnsprovidinghighlightsoftheir dyes, manyofthemplant-based. ones. Colorswereproducedusingvariouspigmentsand with avarietyofnaturalwhitequillsalternatingcolor as Mollyockett.Thequillworkinthispieceisexquisite, wallet fromaround1785madebyanAbenakiwomanknown number ofpiecesfeaturingporcupinequills,includinga of naturalmaterialsfordecorativeendsishighlightedbya not tomentionwigwamsandcanoes.Theiringenioususe to moosehairandsinewintoavarietyoftoolsornaments, Broadcloth, forexample,becameafavoritematerial Many changesoccurredinWabanakitextileproductionafter Interest inNorthAmericanethnographicartifactsisa At aspecialtouroftheexhibitionthispastApril,curators Collection oftheMaineStateMuseum. sale; velvet,silk,glassbeads,late1800s. probably Maliseetandlikelyproducedfor VELVET SMOKINGCAPwithbeadwork, 6/21/10 4:13 PM 33_4_UncommonThreads4.CB.indd 37 in returnforcooperationandgoodwillordiplomatic these pieceswere“tradesilver,”giventotheIndiansbycolonialists of circularbroochesandcrescent-shapedgorgets.Many marks someoftheclothingprovided“anarmorypower.” Ruth HolmesWhitehead,theelaborateornamentationthat had asocial/symbolicsignificance.Accordingtoethnologist serving utilitarianpurposes,muchoftheWabanakiclothing implies asocialrole,“addressedtotheworldatlarge.”While directed, protectivefunctionofagarment,”whilethelatter costume, notingthattheformerrefersto“inward- and potatoharvesting,otherlivelihoods. economically important,supplementinglogging,blueberry culture.” Atthesametime,textileproductionbecame note, theartisans“recasttheirrelationshipwithAnglo adapting traditionalskillsandstylestothiswork,thecurators examples ofwhichareincludedinUncommonThreads.In island residentsandvisitingrusticators. the 1860s.Wabanakipeddledbasketsandotherwaresto seasonal encampmentsinBarHarbor,Maine,thatbegan Eden, BunnyMcBrideandHaraldE.L.Prinsdescribethe in thesummercoastalcolonies.IntheirnewbookIndians gifts ofglassbeads,silkribbonandvariousmetals. colonial forcesviedfortheloyaltyoftribes,whichledto Wabanaki jewelryisalsofeatured,mostnotablyanumber The curatorsmakeadistinctionbetweenclothingand The Wabanakicreatedsomeexceptionalcraftwork,several Later on,thetribesproducedhandcraftedgoodsforsale

engraved. CollectionoftheRoyalOntarioMuseum ©ROM. SILVER GORGET,Britishstylemilitary gorget,late1800s;fabricated/ Salem, Massachusetts. glass beads,mid1800s. PIPE BAGwithbeadwork,Micmac;minkskin,woolbroadcloth, Collection ofthePeabodyEssexMuseum, 6/21/10 4:13 PM

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38 ORNAMENT 33.4.2010 in Eastport,Maine,1817. Joseph Neptune,Governorof the Passamaquoddy,painted Denny Soccabason(Sockabasin), thedaughterofFrancis charming watercolorportrait ofayounggirl,possibly large circularbrooches.Similarornamentsappearina photograph ofPenobscotMollyMolasseswearingthree women. Theexhibitionincludesamid-nineteenth-century costume throughthenineteenthcentury,especiallyamong marked bytightlycoileddouble-curveterminals. Micmac woman,thelapelsfeatureMaliseetbeadwork at theTobiqueReserveinNewBrunswick.Whilemadeby a broadcloth coatcollectedin1893fromChiefFrankFrancis show isfoundinthedecorativedesignsonablackwool social world.” layers ofinformationaboutthewearer’spositioninacomplex write thecurators,“Wabanakicostumeprovidedmultiple significant duringtribalgatherings.“Tothetrainedeye,” a steppeddesign,andsoon.These“ethnicmarkers”were another. TheMicmacusedaT-shapedelement,thePenobscot Variations ofthedesigndistinguishedonetribefrom powder horns. on anarrayofobjects,frombentwoodboxestocarved costume decoration,especiallyinbeadwork,anditappears of designintheearly1800s.Thenativeartisansusedit among theWabanakiandcoincidedwith“exuberant”peak The motif,thecuratorsexplain,“dominated”decoration curve motif,adesigncommonamongnortheasterntribes. Several circularbroochesfeatureanoutward-facingdouble- artisans whowerecommissionedbymembersofthetribes. military significance. purposes. Thependantgorgetshadadditionalpoliticaland Trade silvercontinuedtobeanimportantpartofnative Among themoststunningdouble-curvedesignsin The originofthedouble-curvemotifremainsamystery. Some ofthesilverpiecescarrystampMontreal Eckstorm andFrankG.Speck andtheaforementionedRuth most notably,pioneeringanthropologists FannieHardy Maine tribesworenativecostumes inhonoroftheoccasion. The showopenedtogreatfanfareinMay2009.Membersof for theHumanities,helpedsupportresearchandkeyloans. including significantsupportfromtheNationalEndowment collection aswellholdingselsewhere;severalgrants, the MaineStateMuseumbeganreviewingmaterialsinits bark canoebuilding. tribal artisans,aswelltherecoveryoflostartbirch increasing interestinbeadworkandribbonappliquéamong contemporary Wabanakiartists,theyalsohighlightthe Acknowledging thatbasketmakingisthecentralfocusof highlight thecurrenteffortstorevivenativetraditions. Maine StateMuseumexhibitionorganizersalsowishedto America’s mostdynamicindigenoustextiletraditions,”the circular silverbrooches. wears apeakedhat;anotherfigurehasadornedherselfwith not abandonedtheirtraditionalwear.Anelderlywoman shirts, jacketsandothercontemporaryclothing,buttheyhave men, womenandchildreninthephotographaredressed both thedeclineandmaintainingoftraditionalcostume.The at Sipayik(today’sPleasantPointinPerry,Maine)reflects Penobscot, MaliseetandPassamaquoddyarecurved. designs. Micmaccapsaresquareatthelowermarginswhile examples ofsuchheadweardisplayingintricateedgingand World byearlytraders.Theexhibitionoffersseveralexquisite origin intraditionalBasqueheadgearbroughttotheNew decorated withbeadworkandribbonappliqué,mayhavetheir worn byWabanakiwomen.Thesewoolhatsorcaps,often wood, glassbeads,horsehair.CollectionofMaineStateMuseum. BEADED WABANAKIPOWDERHORN,possiblydancerattle; The exhibitionbuildsonthe researchofmanyothers, Planning forUncommonThreadsbeganin2000when While seekingtorescuefromoblivion“oneofNorth A photographofPassamaquoddyfamiliesgatheredin1901 This portraitalsofeaturestheconicalpeakedhatcommonly horn, 6/21/10 4:13 PM 33_4_UncommonThreads4.CB.indd 39 and metalbeads,silk,calico.CollectionofHarvardUniversity. COAT, Maliseet,fromChiefFrankFrancis,1892;wool,velvet,glass Anthropological Archives,SmithsonianInstitutionnegative74-8344. 1800s. Shewearssilvercrownandbrooches. PHOTOGRAPH ofMaryMitchellSelmore,Passamaquoddy,late engraved, early1800s.CollectionofMaineStateMuseum. SILVER BROOCH,Penobscot,probably made in Montreal; fabricated/ olcinNtoa Collection National

and itstextilelegacy. for thisexceptionalefforttobringdaylightaculture curators andtheirfellowresearchersaretobeapplauded States withthehistoryofWabanakipeople.”The unfamiliarity inCanadaandtheUnited Threads is“toreversethewidespread for theexhibition. are representedbyreplicasmadespecifically In somecasestheobjectsaresofragilethey Bangor MuseumandCenterforHistory. as theAbbeMuseuminBarHarborand the lenders,alongwithsuchlocalsources Victoria inMelbourne,Australia,areamong of theAmericanIndian,andMuseum Smithsonian Institution’sNationalMuseum Archeology andEthnicityatHarvard,the Williamsburg, PeabodyMuseumof Museum ofNaturalHistory,Colonial come fromnearandfar.TheAmerican the Northeasterntribes. with scantattention,however,paidto indigenous peoplesinNorthAmerica, show offeredanarrayofartifactsfrom Art Museumin1976.Thislandmark Indian ArtorganizedbytheDenver Thousand YearsofNorthAmerican in theexhibitionSacredCircles:Two organizers foundfurtherinspiration Holmes Whitehead.Theproject andStewart,1987. TheSpiritSings,editedbyJuliaD.Harrison.Toronto:McClelland AnthropologicalSeries.Ottawa:GovernmentPrinting Bureau,1914. CanadaDepartmentofMinesGeologicalSurveyMemoir 41,no.1, Whitehead, RuthHolmes.“IHaveLivedHereSincetheWorldBegan.” In Canada.”TheMagazineAntiques168,no.4(2003):102-111. Speck, FrankG.TheDoubleCurveMotiveinNortheastern Algonkian Art. IndianArtMagazine24,no.1(Winter,1998):32-41. Eastern “BeautifullyBeaded:NortheasternNativeAmericanBeadwork.” LaBar, LaureenA.“BeyondOrnament:IndianTradeSilverinMaineand BarHarbor,ME:TheRobertAbbeMuseumBulletinIII,1980.[1932] Faulkner, GretchenFearon,NancyT.Prince,andJenniferSapielNeptune. Present.NewYorkCity:HarryN.Abrams,1999. Eckstorm, FannieHardy.TheHandcraftsoftheModernIndiansMaine. Albany:NewYorkMuseumBulletin500,2004. the Dubin, LoisSherr.NorthAmericanIndianJewelryandAdornmentfromPrehistoryto ClothingandCostume.Augusta,Maine:MaineStateMuseum,2009. In Drooker, PenelopeB.,andGeorgeR.Hamell.“SusannahSwan’s‘WampumBag.’” Lincoln,NE:UniversityofNebraskaPress,2001. Bourque, BruceJ.,andLaureenA.LaBar.UncommonThreads:WabanakiTextiles, Bourque, BruceJ.TwelveThousandYears:NativeAmericansinMaine. SUGGESTED READING Among thestatedgoalsofUncommon Uncommon Threadsobjectshave Perishable MaterialCultureintheNortheast,editedbyPenelopeDrooker. 6/21/10 4:13 PM

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