Wabanaki  BeadworkWabanaki  Beadwork    18501850-­-­20200000    Part  2Part  2    

byby    

Frederick  Matthew  WisemanFrederick  Matthew  Wiseman      

     From The Collections of the Wôbanakik Heritage Center      

       

   A P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e G r e a t C o u n c i l F i r e P r o j e c t  

H a v e n P r o j e c t P u b l i c a t i o n W a b a n a k i S e r i e s 2 0 1 2 : 6

C o p y r i g h t 2 0 1 2

 

T h e N e s t e d C i r c l e s t y l e Maliseet  /Passamaquoddy  Mid-­late  19th  century.  

   I n t r o d u c t i o n This   distinctive   a   but   little-­‐studied  Wabanaki   style   of   beadwork   -­‐-­‐composed   of   numerous   nested  circular  or  concentric  design  elements  massed  together  to  make  second-­‐order   floral  or   imaginary  motifs.     It   has   been   given   the   inelegant   name   "cluster   beadwork"   due   to   the   almost   complete  coverage  of  the  article  by  these  nested  circles.    Often  the  innermost  beads  (often  two  or  three),  or  first  and  second  circles  are  executed  in  a  contrasting  color,  but  the  remainder  of  the  design  element  is  in  a  single  color,  perhaps  with  a  border  of  a  third  color.      

   

Figure  10.    Three-­‐color  nested  circles  with  centers,  fill  and  borders  in  contrasting  colors.    The   circular   designs   are   repeated   over   the   surface   of   the   embroidered   item   in   hexagonal   floral  patterns  with  a  central  disc  of  one  color  surrounded  by  discs  of  another  color  as  in  the  central  motif  in   the   epaulet   below,   or   singly   or   in   groups   of   four   as   fillers.     Any   remaining   space   is   filled  with  lines,  stars  or  bands  of  beads.    As  a  side  note,  this  style  is  the  only  Wabanaki  style  that  commonly  incorporates  faceted  brass  beads  in  the  design,  often  as  the  centers  of  the  circles  or  as  fill  between  the  circles.                    

   

Figure  11.      Hexagonal,  floral  design  composed  of  seven  two-­‐color  nested  circles  with  centers  in  contrasting  colors.    It   is   generally   assumed   that   this   design  was   characteristic   of  mid   and   late   19th   century  Maliseet  material,   which   would   include   the   Passamaquoddies   of   Maine(Bergevin   e-­‐mail,   June   10,   2012).    However,   noted  Wabanaki  material   culturalist  Ruth  Whitehead   is  not   so   sure,   assigning  a  pair   of  child's   moccasins   with   nested   circled   vamps   and   cuffs   to   the   "Maliseet,   Passamaquoddy,   or  Penobscot"  (Whitehead,  2001:  252),  and  a   lynx  fur  pouch  ornamented  with  nested  circle  panel  as  "probably   Maliseet   or   Passamaquoddy"   (Whitehead,   2001:   257).   There   are   very   few   well  provenanced  examples  of  ceremonial  clothing  or  components  with  the  nested  circles  incorporated  as  design  elements  of  larger  patterns;  the  most  famous  of  which  are  a  shirt  panel  from  the  Tobique  Maliseet   Reserve   in   New   Brunswick   (Augustine,   2005:132)   and   a   pair   of  moccasins   exhibited   in  London  in  1862  (Pelletier,  1977:22)    C l o t h i n g a n d f a s h i o n a c c e s s o r i e s Nested  circle  beadwork  was  used  on  Maliseet  clothing,   such  as   two  beaded  Maliseet  bibs  or  shirt  panels;   one   collected   in   1910   (Augustine,2005:132)   and   a   second   collected   in   1914  (Augustine,2005:183)   or   a   beaded   Maliseet   coat   collar   collected   in   1910   (Augustine,2005:183).    However,  the  style  also  has  a  Penobscot  provenance,  in  that  it  figures  prominently  as  design  motifs  on  the  Penobscot  tribal  collar  featured  on  the  Cover  of  Frank  Speck's  Penobscot  Man  reprinted  by  University  of  Maine  Press.    There  is  also  an  example  of  a  beaded  epaulet,  a  small  panel  sewn  to  the  upper   arms   of   a   woolen   coat   (Figure   12).     However,   this   example   is   almost   identical   to   a   panel  identified   as   a  Maliseet   headband   in   the  Museum  of   Civilization   collections   that  was   collected   in  1996  (Augustine,2005:234),   so   it  may  have  served  either  purpose.    Until  we   find  one  affixed   to  a  piece  of  clothing,  we  may  never  know  its  true  purpose.        

   

Figure  12.    Nested  Circle  Style  beaded  epaulet  or  headband  Probably  Maliseet  Mid  19th  century  

 Although  the  design  seems  restricted  to  Maine  and  New  Brunswick  and  the  mid-­‐nineteenth  century  period,  we  occasionally   find   them  on   items  outside  of   this   range.    There   is  a  beaded  (executed   in  faceted   glass   and  metal   beads)   moccasin   in   the  Wôbanakik   Heritage   Center   collections   that   has  nested   circle   detail   on   the  moccasin   cuff,   complemented   by   other   designs.     The  moccasin   design  itself   is   rather  unusual   for   late  Wabanaki  work   in   that   it  has  a   relatively  small  vamp  (the  beaded  portion   over   the   instep)   with   a   relatively   long   center   seam.     Center-­‐seam   moccasins   were   the  typical  18th  century  style  in  the  Northeastern  United  States,  but  in  the  19th  century  most  regional  moccasins  did  not   retain   the   technique.    Other  published  Maliseet  moccasins   are   executed   in   the  Iroquoian   style  with   a   large  vamp  and  no   center   seam.    However,  neighboring   tribes   such  as   the  Wendat  routinely  used  the  small  vamp/center-­‐seam  style,  and  so  it  is  possible  that  it  was  used  here  too.    Usually  faceted  beads  (always  metal  in  our  other  Wabanaki  examples  of  the  mid  19th  century)  are  used  as  minor  design  components  rather  than  having  the  whole  design  executed  in  them.    This  faceted  bead  technique  is  unique  in  our  collections  and  may  indicate  that  these  moccasins  may  have  been  made  later  than  the  other  materials  illustrated  in  the  nested  circle  section.    Other  portions  of  the  designs  on  the  cuff  and  vamp  fall  into  the  "miniature  floral"  style  as  well  (see  below).    So  these  unusual  moccasins  have  both  a  construction  and  decorative  technique  that  is  unusual,  but  the  two  beading   styles   on   the   moccasin   is   so   distinctively   Wabanaki,   that   we   are   including   it   in   our  discussion.    The  possibility  remains  that  this  moccasin  may  not  be  Wabanaki,  and  so  'more  research  needs   to   be   done."     Frank   Bergevin   agrees,   "Figure   15   is   not   so   easy.     (Bergevin   e-­‐mail,   June   10,  2012).        

     

   

Figure  15.  The  enigmatic  moccasin  with  nested  circle  detail  on  upper  cuff  Probably  Maliseet  

Probably  late  19th  century    

In   addition   to   clothing,   there   were   some   nested   circle   design   fashion   accessories   such   as   small  trinket   or   sewing   bags   (Hothem,   2003:176),   (Figures   13,   14),   although   the   common   "thistle"   or  inverted  keyhole-­‐form  bags  often  sold  to  tourists  seem  to  have  never  been  made  in  this  style.    The  design   was   also   used   on   accessory   items   given   to   the   local   church,   such   as   a   priest's   stole   also  identified  as  Maliseet  (4.12  Bourque  and  Labarr,  2009:118).        

 

Figure  13.  Nested  Circle  Style  beaded  pouch  (Obverse)  Probably  Maliseet,  Mid  19th  century  

 

 

Figure  14.  Nested  Circle  Style  beaded  pouch  (Reverse)  Probably  Maliseet  Mid  19th  century  

   

T o u r i s t i t e m s However,  by  far  the  largest  production  was  in  items  for  sale  to  tourists.    Strangely,  the  design  seems  to  not  be  embroidered  on  the  usual  tourist  "thistle"  pouches,  but  instead  seem  to  be  mostly  things  for  the      

   

Figure  15.  Nested  Circle  Style  beaded  pen  wipe  Probably  Maliseet,  Mid  19th  century  

 desk,   such   as   a   letter   press   identified   as  Maliseet   (4.13,  Bourque   and  Labarr,   2009:118),   or   pen-­‐wipes,   (mislabeled   "Beaded  Bag,"   Biron,   2006:14)   (see   also   Figure   15)   ,   a   calling   card   tray   (4.12  Bourque  and  Labarr,  2009:118)  and  calling  card  box  (4.26  Bourque  and  Labarr,  2009:120).    As   far  as   I  know,  there  are  no  people  reproducing  this  style  of  beadwork,  and   it   is  one  of   the   few  Wabanaki   styles   that   is   still   affordable   by   Indigenous   museums   interested   in   repatriating   their  ancestral  material  culture.                                                                                      

 

T h e M i n i a t u r e f l o r a l s t y l e . Penobscot  (/Passamaquoddy?)  

Mid-­late  19th  century.    

 

C e r e m o n i a l C l o t h i n g a n d m o c c a s i n s The  miniature  floral  motif  is  used  on  Penobscot  Chiefs'  collars  and  Maliseet  bibs  (shirt  panels)  or  a  black   Maliseet   apron   from   Fredericton,   NB   (Pelletier,   1977:21),   where   a   fine   or   more   delicate  design   is  warranted.     The  motif   consists   of   thin  white   stems,   often   only   one,   or   occasionally   two  beads   wide   sometimes   with   small   chevron   like   designs   emanating   from   the   stem,   probably  representing   leaves,   with   larger   flowers   often   with   only   four   to   six   petals   so   interspersed.   The  flowers   show   close   affinity   to   the   nested   circle   designs  with   concentric   bands   of   beads   around   a  central  core  of  contrasting  color  beads  composing  the  flower;  but  the  components  are  generally  not  circular.    Occasionally  on  collars  or  other  larger  expanses  of  decorated  cloth,  there  will  be  rounded  leaves  characteristic  of  the  "sun  flower"  motif  we  discuss  below.    Spaces  not  occupied  by  the  florals  are  occupied  by  star  shaped  fillers.  The  style  was  also  used  on  moccasins  vamps,  such  as  the  pair  of  large   moccasin   vamps   tentatively   identified   as   Maliseet   (4.17   Bourque   and   Labarr,   2009:120  (Figures  16,  17).    This  particular  style  of  beadwork  is  not  known  on  tourist   items,  and  so  we  may  surmise  that  it  was  reserved  for  tribal  use.    

   

Figure  16.    Moccasin  vamps,  with  miniature  floral  motif  Penobscot/Passamaquoddy/Maliseet,  Mid  or  late  19th  century  

 

 Figure  17.      Moccasin  cuffs,  with  miniature  floral  motif  

Penobscot/Passamaquoddy/Maliseet  Mid  or  late  19th  century  

 

   

Figure  15.  Moccasin  with  miniature  floral  motif  Possibly  Maliseet  

Probably  late  19th  century      The  anomalous  moccasin,  once  again  shown  above,  has  the  distinctive  flowers  of  this  design,  complete  with  contrasting  bead  color  in  the  center  of  each  petal,  connected  by  thin  white  beaded  "stems."    

   

T h e R a d i a n t L e a f s t y l e . Wabanaki  

Mid-­late  19th  century.    

 I n t r o d u c t i o n Probably   the   least   known   Wabanaki   beaded   motif   consists   of   a   rather   'loose"   design   with  inordinately   large   central   designs   resembling   flowers,   the   sun,   a   star   or   unidentifiable   design  motifs.    They  are  typically  surrounded  by  the  distinctive  Wabanaki  leaves  surrounded  by  radiating  lines.     The   first   published   example   was   a   tapered   six   sided   "flat   bag,"   (Hothem,   2003:175),  identified  as  "Atlantic  Maritime  Algonquin"   followed  by  the  publishing  of   the  central  headband  of  the  famous  Gabe  Paul  eared  hood  collected  in  1914  (Augustine,2005:155).    The  Wabanaki  identity  of  the  design  is  confirmed  by  the  "Wabanaki  leaf,"(see  Introduction)  which  is  wide  at  the  base  and  tapers  to  the  pointed  tip.    In  this  particular  style,  the  leaf  is  often  surrounded  by  a  series  of  radiant  lines   executed   either   in   the   same   color   as   the   leaf   (as   in   the   central   example   in   Figure   18)   or   in  contrasting  color(s)  as  in  the  leaves  flanking  it  the  upper  foliar  motif.        

   

Figure  18.    Detail    pouch  with  three  "radiant  leaves."    Wabanaki  

Mid  or  late  19th  century      There  is  a  possibility  that  the  radiant  leaf  is  an  Abenaki  style,  in  that  one  example  of  a  very  similar    style   was   found   with   a   Montreal   newspaper   under   the   beadwork   (Biron,   2009:18),   and   the  Penobscot  hood  uses   it   as  well.     If   so   this  may  be   the   "tip  of   the   iceberg"  of   the   strangely  absent  western  Wabanaki  beadwork.    It  has  a  decidedly  'non-­‐Iroquois"  feeling  to  it,  and  therefore  deserves  much  more  research.    Typical  Tuscarora  beaded  pouches  of  the  19th  century  have  highly  stylized,  often  unrecognizable   leaves  (Figure  19a.)  with  cross  bands  of  colors  and  thick  petioles  and  stems  totally   unlike   the   example   illustrated   here.     However,   there   are   examples   that   grade   into   more  classic   Iroquois   styles,  with   rounder   leaves,   thick   stems   and  more  obvious  midribs   to   the   leaves.    Also,  there  are  examples  (Figure  19b.)  of  the  Wabanaki   leaf,  but  with  prominent  midribs,  that  are  used   in   the   earliest   phase   of   the   Niagara   style.     Maybe   these   are  Wabanaki   crafted,   or   perhaps  Niagara  style  bead  workers  adopted  the  leaf  as  a  design  motif  regardless  of  ethnicity.    My  colleague  Frank  Bergevin  agrees,  "Your  figures  19a  and  19b  are  so  Iroquoian  but  there  are  elements  that  may  not  be  in  the  cuff,  as  you  note."    (Bergevin  e-­‐mail,  June  10,  2012).              

   

Figure  19a.    Mid  19th  century  Iroquoian  style  Flat  Bag  or  Reticule.  Note  that  the  leaves  are  all  bi-­‐colored  through  the  leaf  rather  than  the  margin;  

and  the  stems  are  very  thick,  four  beads  wide.    

 

Figure  19b.    Transitional  radiant  leaf/Iroquoian  style  cuff.  Note  that  the  central  leaf  has  a  series  of  bi-­‐color  curved  radiant  lines  similar  to  the  flanking  leaves  in  Figure  18.  However,  there  is  a  distinct  line  of  beads  in  each  leaf  indicating  the  midrib.    And  the  stems  are  wide  like  19a.  

T o u r i s t i t e m s As  pointed  out  above,  the  first  published  "radiant  leaf"  object  was  a  "flat  bag,"  (Hothem,  2003:175)  with   some   stylistic   affinities   to   Iroquois   work   such   as   the   hexagonal   shape.     The   Wôbanakik  Heritage  Center  has  a  more  typically  Wabanaki  tulip  or  inverted  keyhole  shape  as  seen  in  Figure  20.    

   

Figure  20.    Flat  Bag  with  radiant  leaf  motif  Penobscot/Passamaquoddy/Maliseet  

Mid  or  late  19th  century    

Although  this  bag  has  the  general  shape  of   the  thistle-­‐form    bag  we  discuss  under  the  "Sunflower  style"   below,   it   has   subtle   differences,   including   an   angular   rather   than   rounded   bottom   and   an  absence  of  the  "zigzag"  beaded  design  (or  any  beadwork  at  all)  above  the  throat.    It  is  also  unique  in  that  it   incorporates  metal  sequins  as  fillers,  a  trait  often  seen  on  late  19th  century  "Niagara-­‐style"  bead  work.  Bergevin  notes,   "Figure  20   is   in  what   I  was   seeing  as  a  Western  Abenaki   style  more   than  anything  and  closer  to  Mohawk  in  many  ways.  (Bergevin  e-­‐mail,  June  10,  2012).        

                 

 

T h e S u n f l o w e r S t y l e . Wabanaki  and  Kahnawake  (rare)  

Mid-­late  19th  century.    

 I n t r o d u c t i o n Probably   the  best  known  and  most  widely  available  Wabanaki  style   in   the  ethnographic  antiques  trade  is  the  "sunflower,"  a  style  very  closely  related  to  the  radiant  leaf  style.    The  style  is  distinctive  and   is   characterized   by   largish   flowers   with   wide,   square-­‐ended   petals   surrounding   a   circular  center,   flanked   by   the   distinctive  Wabanaki   pointed   leaves   we   see   in   the   radiant   leaf   design,   or  distinctive   rounded   quatrefoils   (Figure   23).     The   flowers   are   based   on   showy   species   of   the  sunflower  family  characterized  by  a  large  central  "disc"  (actually  a  mass  of  tiny  individual  flowers)  of  a  color  contrasting  with  the  lateral,  radiating  "petals"  (actually  individual  "ray"  flowers).    

   

Figure  21    A  "Sunflower"  with  large  corolla  and  square  ended  petals,  mimics  the  form  and  color  of  Pyrethrum  spp.  flowers.  

 The  leaves  can  be  one  color,  have  a  contrasting  border  or  have  the  lower  part  of  the  leaf  a  different  color,  as  is  common  in  Iroquois  work.    Unfortunately,  not  much  is  known  about  the  specific  cultural  affinity  of  the  sunflower  design,  since  it  shows  up  on  ceremonial  items  with  good  provenance  from  Indian   Island   Maine   such   as   a   ceremonial   cape   collar   (Speck,   1997:142)   to   New   Brunswick   (a  Maliseet  shirt  panel  dated  to  1880,  Pelletier,  1977:24).    It  most  commonly  shows  up  in  the  so-­‐called  Wabanaki  Flat  bags,  an  eastern  form  analogous  to  the  much  more  common  Iroquois  flat  bags  sold  in  large   numbers   at   Niagara   falls   and   other   tourist   destinations   (Figure   19a).     However,   it   was  occasionally  used  on  items  thought  to  be  made  for  tribal  use.        

   Figure  22    Medal  pouch,  with  quatrefoil  motif,  ancestral  to  the  sunflower  motif  in  that  the  disc  is  enlarging  and  the  petals  

are  flattening  out.  Abenaki  Provenance,  used  with  silver,  Louis  XIV  medal.  

Mid  19th  century  

 The   best   example   of   tribal   use   that  we   have   in   the  Wôbanakik   Heritage   Center   collections   is   an  early,     well-­‐worn   velvet   medal   pouch   with   the   distinctive   flower   design   that   came   from   the  westernmost   part   of   the   Wabanaki   homeland   in   Vermont.     This   bilobate   design   also   crops   up  occasionally   to   the  west   as  well.    However,  Bergevin,   postulates   a  more  northern/eastern  origin,  "Now  here   is   something  with  Figure  22,  even  with  attribution.    This   I   feel   is  very  Naskapi/Montagnais  and  not  Wabanaki  at  all."  (Bergevin  e-­‐mail,  June  10,  2012).    However,  the  Wabanakis  were  allies  of  the  Innu  as  well  as  tribes  to  the  west,  and  so  it  is  quite  possibly  an  early  political  exchange  item.      There  is  also  one  extant  moccasin  vamp  in  the  Wôbanakik  Heritage  Center  collections  (Figure  23)  that   has   a   distinctive   "rounded"   quatrefoil   motif   often   seen   on   flat   bags   of   the   sunflower   style.    Bergevin  concurs  that  it  is  Wabanaki,  "Figure  23  with  the  quatrefoil  (also  the  trefoils)  appear  a  lot,  and  likely  Wabanaki"  (Bergevin  e-­‐mail,  June  10,  2012).        

   

Figure  23.    Moccasin  vamp,  with  quatrefoil  motif  Penobscot/Passamaquoddy/Maliseet  

Mid  or  late  19th  century    

   

Figure  24.  Detail,  Penobscot  Man  with  Sunflower-­‐style  shirt  panel  Indian  Island,  1920's.    

with  indeterminate  style  collar    The   Penobscot    man   in   figure   24   is  wearing   a   shirt   panel   that   is   in   the   sunflower   style,   but   the  leaves  are  connected  by  relatively  thick  stems  and  the  leaves  have  a  central  color  surrounded  by  a  margin  of  a  different  color.    This  design  shows  up  on  the  Penobscot  Chief's  Collar  and  on  a  woman's  blouse,   alternating   with   sunflowers,   at   Kahnawake   as   well   (Biron,   n.d.  iroquoisbeadwork.blogspot.com/  Figure  12).    There  is  a  possibility  that  these  items  may  have  been  made  by  or  for  delegates  to  the  Great  Council  Fire  meetings  at  Kahnawake  to  which  the  Penobscots  and  other  Wabanakis  repaired  every  few  years.