Birchbark container

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

This birchbark container was owned by Lieutenant Colonel John Hawks (1707-1784), known as the “Hero of Fort Massachusetts.” Although believed to be for holding gunpowder, it more likely held dried and pounded material such as corn, tobacco, or herbs. The container is stitched together with split spruce root and decorated with a vertical pattern of stripes and scallops seen in Abenaki designs. Hawks was stationed at Fort Massachusetts near present-day Williamstown, Massachusetts. He defended the fort on Aug. 19, 1746 (during King George’s War, 1744-1748), against an attack by French soldiers with their Abenaki allies.

Related Items

Details

Item typePersonal Objects
Crafts, Decorative Art
CreatorAbenaki [Attributed to]
Date1740–1760
TopicNative American
EraColonial settlement, 1620–1762
MaterialPlant Product
Dimension detailsHeight: 10.87 in Diameter: 4.25 in
Catalog #IR.011
View this item in our curatorial database →
Abenaki [Attributed to]. Birchbark container. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/ir-011/. Accessed on December 8, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.