Costume, man's summer

Description

Shirt of tanned caribou skin with round neck and pointed lower edge, decorated with applied quillwork, red ochre, and thong fringes wrapped with quills and strung with silverberry seeds and beads, sewn with sinew, part of a man's summer outfit: North America, Canada, Yukon or Northwest Territories, Gwich'in, c. 1860

Museum reference

A.564

Collection

Americas

Object name

Costume, man's summer, Shirt

Production information

Yukon, Canada, North America
Northwest Territories, Canada, North America

Date

c. 1860

Style / Culture

Gwich'in
Athapaskan

Materials

Caribou skin, Porcupine quill, Ochre, Thong, Silverberry seed, Glass

Physical description

Shirt, part of a man's summer outfit, made of tanned caribou skin, with round neck and pointed lower edge, decorated with applied quillwork in red, white and blue, red ochre, and thong fringes wrapped with red and white quills and strung with silverberry (eleagnus) seeds and black glass beads. Sewn with sinew.

Exhibitions

• Dogrib: We live securely by the land (01 Oct 2006 - 14 Dec 2007)
  Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
  Carleton University Art Gallery

References

The Athabaskans: Strangers of the North. Ottawa: National Museum of Man, 1974. Exhibition catalogue from 'An international travelling exhibition from the collection of the National Museum of Man, Canada, and the Royal Scottish Museum'. cat no. 178

Idiens, Dale, A catalogue of Northern Athapaskan Indian artefacts in the collection of the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Museum Information Series, Art and Archaeology 3, March 1979

Dè T’a Hoti Ts’eeda: ‘We Live Securely by the Land’; An Exhibition of Dene material selected from the collections from National Museums Scotland. Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada 2006 p.22-23

Duncan, Kate C. and Carney, Eunice, A special gift: the Kutchin beadwork tradition, University of Washington Press, 1988 p.22

Listed on Yukon government 'Searching for Our Heritage' project website listing Yukon First Nations artefacts around the world: http://www.tc.gov.yk.ca/museum_resources.html