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From the GKS: A Tuscarora Hat

December 1, 2020 by Olivia White

by Olivia White

Caption from the GKS: Hat, made before 1840. Circumference: 56cm. Collected by Lewis Henry Morgan in the 1840s and transferred to the museum in 1970. Catalogue/Accession Number or Reference: 70.89.26. GKS Record ID: 45226

This beaded hat is in the Lewis Henry Morgan Collection at the Rochester Museum and Science Center in New York. According to the GKS, this hat was made before 1840 and is attributed to the Tuscarora Nation. It is constructed of one piece of velvet gathered at the top, with beaded panels attached around the rim decorated with a feather motif, and lined with cotton.  

The GKS describes that the front of the hat has a separate lobed panel that is stiffened with cardboard in between the front and back layers, with wool tape sewn as a tassel on the top. The multi-coloured, lightly raised glass beadwork around the rim consists of fancy beads and tubular faceted beads, creating a stunning group of feathers with green, yellow, red/orange and blue tips. Personally, I enjoy how the combination of colours in the beadwork complements the deep purple velvet. Likewise, the blue and red/orange fabric around the rim is beautiful.

The 2016 team who compiled information on this hat consisted of Wahsontiio Cross, Kate Higginson, Alexandra Nahwegahbow, Melissa Otis, Ruth Phillips and Paula Whitlow, assisted by Jamie Jacobs and Kathryn Murano.

Filed Under: Newsletter Stories

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