Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
Wabanaki people traded furs for silver and other goods, as did many other Indigenous Nations in what is currently the northeastern United States, starting with contact between Indigenous peoples and Europeans, around 1600. The silver supplemented other adornments, such as seashells, inscribed stonework, and birch-bark engraved brooches.
Silver trade brooches, also called “gorgets,” are objects of status and power for Wabanaki people, worn by both men and women and passed down through generations. Wabanaki artists created silver brooches, but more often non-Native silversmiths made them, and government officials presented the brooches to Indigenous leaders as diplomatic gifts and gestures of goodwill. This practice follows Wabanaki traditions of reciprocity associated with wampum exchanges. The double curve design on this brooch is a traditional Wabanaki design.
Created in Montreal, Canada, during the American Revolution, this trade brooch tells the story of competing French, British, and American politicians who curried favor with Wabanaki Nations for centuries.
James A. Purinton, Indian Agent serving the Penobscot Nation at Old Town between 1860 and 1864 had this and two other silver trade brooches from the Penobscot Nation in his collection.
About This Item
- Title: Penobscot trade brooch, Indian Island, ca. 1780
- Creation Date: circa 1780
- Subject Date: circa 1780
-
Locations:
- Indian Island, Old Town, Penobscot County, ME
- ON, Canada
- Media: Silver alloy
- Dimensions: 19 cm x 19 cm
- Local Code: 2420*.3
- Object Type: Physical Object
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
People
Other Keywords
- Business & commerce
- Diplomacy
- Gorgets
- Home, domestic life & personal possessions
- Native Americans
- People
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.
More to Consider
Item 10927
Mary Mitchell Selmore, Pleasant Point, 1901
Item 25043
Silver trade brooch, Indian Island, ca. 1800
Please post your comment below to share with others. If you'd like to privately share a comment or correction with MMN staff, please send us a message with this link.
