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Métis-Cree Artist (attributed)
Bandolier, bag Bandolier, bag
1880 1880

This lustrously beaded shot pouch was likely accompanied by matching leggings and a powder horn, for which only the straps survive. The ensemble would have been a mark of distinction for the owner, perhaps a dog driver or trapper, who plied the trails and rivers linking trading posts across northern Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba. The organic floral motifs are influenced by the popular patterns on Chinese ceramics, English calicoes, and chintzes from India, which circulated widely through Rupert’s Land. For the Indigenous woman who beaded this ensemble, the flowers and berries represent sacred medicines and symbols of life and renewal, suggesting a strategic appropriation of globally circulating fashions and materials.

Images are not available to the general public. For Indigenous community members, please go to https://agnes.queensu.ca/explore/collections/image-reproduction/ for access.

Métis-Cree Artist (attributed)
Eastern Woodlands Eastern Woodlands
Bandolier, bag Bandolier, bag
1880 1880
Cotton fibre ?, wool fibre ?, silk fibre ?, glass, metal, hide Cotton fibre ?, wool fibre ?, silk fibre ?, glass, metal, hide
14.5 x 22.0 cm (pouch length x width); 62.0 x 6.5 cm (strap length x width)
Acquired 1971 through university transfer, 1957 Acquired 1971 through university transfer, 1957
M71-003

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