Snowshoes Item Number: A6727 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Pair of elliptically shaped brown wooden snowshoes; both ends are pointed, with the front curving sharply upwards. Three wooden crossbars separate the rawhide mesh-like latticework into three main sections, with the latticework in the central section being of a thicker construction. Two straps made from long strips of cotton are tied to the rawhide in the central section. Small tufts of multicoloured fibres ring the outside of the frame.

Narrative

The donor said the objects in his donation should be known as the Hillyard Mitchell collection. Mitchell (1852-1923) spent much of his working life in the Northwest Territories, later moving to Victoria, B.C. The donor also said the collection came from his grandfather, F. Carson, who had gone to Saskatchewan in 1861 as a boy of 15, and stayed until 1918. He was a fur trader and trapper, working mainly amongst the Cree, and was recorded having been at Duck Lake and Prince Albert, Sask. It is now uncertain which objects were collected by Mitchell vs collected by F. Carson.

Item History

What

Name
Snowshoes
Identification Number
A6727 a-b
Type of Item
snowshoe
Material
wood, rawhide skin, cotton fibre, wool fibre and dye
Part A
height 10.5 cm, width 18.0 cm, depth 73.0 cm
Part B
height 9.5 cm, width 18.5 cm, depth 73.0 cm

Who

Culture
Cree ?
Previous Owner
F. Carson, Hillyard Mitchell and F. S. Carson
Received from
F. S. Carson (Donor)

Where

Holding Institution
MOA: University of British Columbia
Made in
Saskatchewan, Canada ?

When

Collection Date
between 1861 and 1918
Ownership Date
before 1923 and before October 28, 1957
Acquisition Date
on October 28, 1957

Other

Condition
fair
Current Location
Case 44
Accession Number
2081/0001 a-b