Beaded, front panel only; red wool flannel tradecloth with varicolored floral beadwork; 8 elongated appendanges (4 front and 4 behind), the front ones decorated with beadwork; pendant red and blue glass trade beads with red wool tassels; minor moth damage
Donor:
Dolores Juarez Unger and Vivian J. Rose
Collection place:
Alaska
Verbatim coll. place:
Alaska
Culture or time period:
Northern Athapaskan tribes
Collector:
Mrs. Juarez
Collection date:
unknown
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Pouches
Function:
5.5 Stimulants, Narcotics, and Accessories
Accession date:
1974
Context of use:
Called "octopus bag" by traders. Probably produced by N. Athabaskans although they were often collected among the coastal Indians such as the Tlingit, who prized them highly. These bags are identified as smoking bags.
Department:
Native US and Canada (except California)
Dimensions:
width 23.2 centimeters and length 40 centimeters
Comment:
Cf. 2-2748 for complete example which included wool hanging device. Also see 2-5769-70. In "The Athapaskans: Strangers of the North", (National Museum of Man, Ottawa), see #157 pl., p. 31 and text, p. 114. "The Far North", Henry B. Collins et al, #203-204.