Originally catalogued as "Canadian Indians," From card: "Buckskin-fringed and quilled. Long looped suspension cord. Object is illus.: Fig. 26, p. 128 "Yukon River Athapaskan Costume in the 1860's" by Kate Duncan in Faces, Voices & Dreams; Division of Alaska State Museums; 1987. Object is identified there as Athabaskan knife case."

FROM CARD: "DEPOSITED. *DOUBLE ENTRY UNDER CAT. #2009."

FROM CARD: "TRIBE YUKON RIVER INDS. HAN KOOTCHIN" ILLUS (tunic and moccasin trousers).: CROSSROADS OF CONTINENTS CATALOGUE; FIG. 67, P.65. LOAN: CROSSROADS SEP 22, 1988. LOAN RETURNED: JAN 21 1993."Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on this artifact (under # ET1857B) http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=5, retrieved 8-13-2012: Moccasin pants or trousers. This pair of man's moccasin trousers are made of soft, tanned caribou skin. There were part of a suit of clothing that was purchased in the late 1850s or early 1860s by Hudson's Bay Company fur trader Bernard Ross. Like the trousers, the tunic and mittens (E1857-0 and E1857-2) are decorated with bands of trade beads and with lines of red mineral (ocher) paint along the edges, seams, and beaded areas. In the past, men and women of all Alaskan Athabascan groups wore similar moccasin trousers and tunics. Along the Yukon River and its tributaries these garments were made by the Gwich'in (1), Koyukon (2), Upper Tanana (3), and Deg Hit'an.(4) In southern Alaska, both the Dena'ina and Ahtna wore this type of clothing.(5) Moccasin trousers often had tanned caribou skin leggings and moose hide soles.(6) Hair was left on the caribou skins when making winter trousers, and turned to the inside. Upper Tanana people wore winter trousers made of mountain sheep skins and put rabbit fur inside to insulate their feet.(7) Moccasin trousers were originally decorated with porcupine quill embroidery and later with glass trade beads.(8) This type of garment went out of style among most Athabascans by the mid to late 19th century, replaced by pants and unattached moccasins.(9) However, some in the Upper Tanana region were still wearing moccasin trousers in 1930, and the Gwich'in were making them for children at that time.(10) 1. Mackenzie 1801:48; McKennan 1965:45; Murray 1910:84; Osgood 1936:39-40; Richardson 1851 Vol. 1:380 2. Dall 1870:82-83; Michael 1976:244-46 3. McKennan 1959:78-80 4. Osgood 1970:262; Michael 1976:244-46 5. Allen 1887:131, Osgood 1937:46 6. McKennan 1959:78, 1965:45; Osgood 1936:39 7. McKennan 1959:78 8. VanStone 1981:11-16 9. Simeone and VanStone 1986:7 10. Duncan and Carney 1997:24: McKennan 1959:45, 79

FROM CARD: "3 PIECES. *DOUBLE ENTRY UNDER CAT. #594."

FROM CARD: "*DOUBLE ENTRY UNDER CAT. #577."

FROM CARD: "ONCE IDENTIFIED AS ESKIMO. BROAD BLADED STEEL KNIFE BIFURCATING INTO A Y-SHAPED HANDLE WITH COILED TIPS. HANDLE LASHED WITH CANE. BLADE WITH CENTRAL RIDGE ON ONE SIDE ONLY. *DOUBLE ENTRY UNDER CAT. #601. ILLUS. IN THE FAR NORTH CATALOG, NAT. GALL. OF ART, 1973, P. 157. LOANED TO THE ARTS COUNCIL OF GREAT BRITAIN 09/13/76. LOAN RETURNED 7/28/1977. LOAN: CROSSROADS SEP 22 1988. LOAN RETURNED: JAN 21 1993. ILLUS.: CROSSROADS OF CONTINENTS CATALOGUE; FIG. 304, P.229." Crossroads of Continents caption identifies as probably Kutchin: "Long knives with flaring, voluted handles were used for both hunting and fighting. They were originally made from copper obtained through the native trade system; later examples like this one collected in the 1860s are made of trade steel. Lashed to wooden poles, they were used by especially daring hunters to kill bears."

FROM CARD: "TRIBE YUKON RIVER INDS. HAN KOOTCHIN".Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on this artifact (under # ET1857C) http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=6, retrieved 8-13-2012: Mittens (see related objects tunic E1857-0 and moccasin trousers E1857-1) Extracts from discussion with Elders Phillip Arrow, Trimble Gilbert, Eliza Jones and Judy Woods at the National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of the American Indian, 5/17/2004-5/21/2004. Also participating: Aron Crowell (NMNH), Kate Duncan (Arizona State University) and Suzi Jones (AMHA) (see web page cited above for the full entries): Eliza Jones: These are short moosehide mittens. And it looks like it's the kind for dress-up because of the beads all around the edge, its fringe. Judy Woods: And it doesn't have lining. Eliza Jones: It has a caribou-skin string that goes around the neck, about forty-eight inches. Around home when we make mittens, we make it with yarn, and then we put a yarn across here too. You see it on a lot of the old pictures where there's a string across. Judy Woods: So you won't lose your mitts.

FROM CARD: "TAIL OF MUSK OX. *DOUBLE ENTRY UNDER CAT. #582."