Mi'kmaq and Maliseet : cultural ancestral material ; national collections from the Canadian Museum of Civilization

270 Pages·2005·74.705 MB·English

by  Stephen Joseph Augustine

MI'KMAQ & MALISEE T
CULTURAL ANCESTRAL MATERIAL
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MI'KMAQ &
MALISEE T
CULTURAL ANCESTRAL MATERIAL
National Collections from the
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Stephen J. Augustine
MERCURY SERIES
ETHNOLOGY PAPER 140
CANADIAN MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATION
© 2005 Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be repro Manager, Publishing: Deborah Brownrigg
duced or transmitted in any form or by any means Coordinator, Internal Publishing Program and
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, Co-Publications: Sarah Lacharity
recording, or any retrieval system, without the prior Curator of Platean Ethnology: Nicholette Prince
written permission of the publisher. Cover Design: Hangar 13
Design: Phredd Grafix
Published by the
Printer: The Lowe-Martin Group
Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation
(CMCC) Front photographs: Man: Gabe A. Paul i n a traditional
100 Laurier Street ceremonial Maliseet costume. Photo b y Frank G. Speck,
P.O.Box 3100, Station B September 10, 1913. Young girl: Daughter of John Paul,
Gatineau, Quebec J8X 4H2 Mi'kmaq of Badgers Brook, Newfoundland. Photo by
Frank G Speck in 1914.
Back cover photographs: Doll: Doll representing Beothuk
wood head and torso, red knitted wool outfit. Cultural
Affiliation: Mi'kmaq; Badgers Brook, Newfoundland .
Hat: Chief's hat made from heavy dark blue broadcloth
PRINTED IN CANADA
and beads. Cultural Affiliation: Maliseet; Old Town, Maine.
Library and Archives Canada Object of the Mercury Series
Cataloguing in Publication This series is designed to permit the rapid dissemi
nation of information pertaining to the disciplines in
Augustine, Stephen J. (Stephen Joseph), 1949- which the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corpo
ration is active. Considered an important reference by
Mi'kmaq and Maliseet Cultural Ancestral Material:
the scientific community, the Mercury Series comprises
National Collections from the Canadian Museum
over 400 specialized publications on Canada's history
of Civilization
and prehistory. Due to its specialized audience, the
series consists largely of monographs published in
(Mercury series, ISSN 0316-1854)
the language of the author. In the interest of making
(Ethnology paper, ISSN 1709-5875; no. 140) information available quickly, normal production pro
cedures have been abbreviated. As a result, grammatical
Includes an abstract in French. and typographical errors may occur. Your indulgence
ISBN 0-660-19115-6 is requested.
Cat.no. NM95-21/140E
But de la collection Mercure
1. Micmac Indians — Material culture — Catalogs. La collection Mercure vise à diffuser rapidement le
résultat de travaux dans les disciplines qui relèvent
2. Maliseet Indians — Material culture — Catalogs.
des sphères d'activités du Musée canadien des civili
3. Indians of North America — Material culture —
sations. Considérée comme un apport important dans
Atlantic Provinces — Catalogs.
la communauté scientifique, la collection Mercure
4. Canadian Museum of Civilization — Catalogs. présente plus de 400 publications spécialisées portant
sur l'héritage canadien préhistorique et historique.
I. Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Comme la collection s'adresse à un public spécialisé,
II. Title.
celle-ci est constituée essentiellement de monographies
III. Series. publiées dans la langue des auteurs. Pour assurer la
prompte distribution des exemplaires imprimés, les
IV. Series: Ethnology paper (Canadian Museum
étapes de l'édition ont été abrégées. En conséquence,
of Civilization); no. 140.
certaines coquilles ou fautes de grammaire peuvent sub
E99.M6A83 2003 971.5'004973 C2003-980321-X sister : c'est pour-quoi nous réclamons votre indulgence.
How to Obtain Mercury Series Titles Comment se procurer les titre s parus dans la
E-mail: [email protected] collection Mercure
Web: cyberboutique.civilization.ca Courriel : [email protected]
Telephone: [phone] or, toll-free Web : cyberboutique.civilisations.ca
1 800 555-5621 (North America) Téléphone : 1 819 776-8387 ou sans frais,
Mail: Mail Order Services en Amérique du Nord seulement,
Canadian Museum of Civilization 1 800 555-5621
100 Laurier Street Poste : Service des commandes postales
P.O. Box 3100, Station B Musée canadien des civilisations
Gatineau, Quebec J8X 4H2 100, rue Laurier
C.P. 3100, succursale B
Gatineau (Québec) J8X 4H2
PREFACE
We find echoes of those who go before us in the shapes of our bodies and
the talents of our minds and hands. They bequeath us their memories in
reminiscences and family stories. They give us their knowledge through their words,
spoken and re-spoken, written and read. In the work of their hands, they leave us
brief, and often eloquent, records of their lives.
This book provides a guide to the objects in the Canadian Museum of Civilization made
by Mi'kmaq and Maliseet people in the early years of the twentieth century. Sometimes
the names of the makers have been preserved; sometimes they have not. These objects
represent the work of three generations of people responding with creativity, vivacity,
and intensity of purpose, to lives rich in heritage and fraught with difficulty Today,
they mean different things to different people: knowledge lost, knowledge regained,
life in a time gone by, a living heritage, a grandmother's basket.
For Stephen Augustine, making these objects and the information associated with them
accessible to Mi'kmaq and Maliseet people has been a task of heart and mind. This
book was preceded by a Web site created for SchoolNet by the Canadian Museum of
Civilization, in co-operation with Industry Canada. Although a great deal of work was
required to prepare the Web site, even more work has been needed to make this book.
It is relatively easy, now, to confide images and text to cyberspace, and let them be used
and enjoyed by all who surf the net. But not everybody surfs the net. A book can be
picked up and leafed through, passed around in a gathering of people, left on a bench
for someone to find by accident, read in a classroom or kept on a bedside table. In
cyberspace, information travels around the globe in an instant, and can vanish just as
quickly. Books move far more slowly, but they tend to be available for the next person,
whether that person comes along in ten minutes, or ten years.
We hope that now — and a generation from now — Mi'kmaq and Maliseet people
and all who are interested in their history, will find in this book a path to the objects
themselves and, through the objects, a vital connection to the minds and knowledge
of the people who made them.
Andrea Laforet
February 10, 2005
ABSTRACT
M i'kmaq & Maliseet Cultural Ancestral Material has been designed to provide
information and images for collections held in the Canadian Museum of
Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec. The collection of artifacts featured in this publication
is from the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet cultural groups living in the Atlantic region of Canada,
and in Maine, U.S.A. These colourful and finely crafted cultural objects were collected,
sold or donated between approximately 1841 and the present day.
Mi'kmaq & Maliseet Cultural Ancestral Material profiles the extensive range of material
housed at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Featured objects include everything
from tools and equipment used for fishing, hunting and trapping, to modes of transpor­
tation such as canoes, snowshoes and toboggans, to containers, clothing and ceremonial
objects. Focussing on post-Contact cultural material, this publication clearly demonstrates
the ingenuity and artistry involved in adapting modern materials and processes to
traditional objects, forms and technologies.
This finding aid will undoubtedly prove to be a helpful tool for First Peoples, academic
researchers, educators and the general public. The publication is divided into two
sections: the first deals with Mi'kmaq cultural material; the second deals with Maliseet
material. Most items are identified with a photograph and a brief descriptive text.
The result is a comprehensive reference tool for researchers and educators alike.
RÉSUMÉ
L'ouvrage Mi'kmaq & Maliseet Cultural Ancestral Material vise à présenter de
l'information et des images des collections conservées au Musée canadien des
civilisations, à Gatineau (Québec). La collection d'artefacts présentée dans ce livre
provient des groupes culturels micmacs et malécites des régions maritimes de l'Est du
Canada et du Maine, É.-U. Ces objets culturels colorés et finement ouvragés ont été
collectionnés, vendus ou donnés environ de 1841 à aujourd'hui.
Cette publication présente la vaste gamme d'objets qu'abrite le Musée canadien des
civilisations. On y trouve de tout, des outils et du matériel de pêche, de chasse et de
piégeage, à des moyens de transport comme des canots, des raquettes et des toboggans,
ainsi que des contenants, des vêtements et des objets de cérémonie. S'intéressant surtout
aux objets culturels de la période postérieure aux premiers contacts avec les Européens,
cette publication montre clairement l'ingéniosité et le talent artistique qu'il a fallu
pour adapter des matériaux et techniques modernes aux objets, formes et méthodes
traditionnels.
Mi'kmaq & Maliseet Cultural Ancestral Material sera sans aucun doute une ressource
très utile aux peuples autochtones, aux chercheurs, aux enseignants et au grand public.
La publication se divise en deux sections : la première porte sur les objets culturels
micmacs; la seconde sur les objets malécites. La plupart des objets sont identifiés
par une photographie et un court texte descriptif. Le produit final est un outil de
référence exhaustif pour les chercheurs aussi bien que pour les enseignants.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements 1
Introduction 3
Mi'kmaq Artifacts 9
Maliseet Artifacts 123
Index to Mi'kmaq Collections 239
Index to Maliseet Collections 249
Index to Object Names 257