"A trio of Indians of the Caughnawaga tribe with decorated paddles bows and arrows"
Creator: John Boyd
Creator: John Boyd
Date: 1914
Reference Code: C 7-3, 11272
Archives of Ontario, I0003496
Thursday, September 29, 2022
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Saturday, September 10, 2022
McCord Museum - Haudensaunee (Iroquois) Paddles
The McCord Museum has updated their online gallery to include a variety of Haudensaunee paddles. Two are from the Lac Tremblant region of Quebec with a decorated paddle blade fragment sourced to the Six Nations Reserve in Southwestern Ontario.
Haudenosaunee Canoe Paddle
1900-1920
Dimensions: 159 x 9.9 cm
Origin: Lac Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
Numéro D'accession: ACC2970.2
Gift of Dr. J. B. Porter
Haudenosaunee Canoe Paddle
Date: 1900-1920
Dimensions: 159 x 9.9 cm
Origin: Lac Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
Numéro D'accession: ACC2970.1
Gift of Dr. J. B. Porter
Iroquois Boat Paddle Fragment
1865-1900
Dimensions 8 x 55.8 x 2.3 cm
Origin: Six Nation Reserve area, Ontario, Canada
Numéro D'accession: M980
Gift of David Ross McCord
Friday, September 2, 2022
Historic Paddle Photo - 1903 - Song of Hiawatha Performance
Found two historic photos dated to 1903 which feature some decorated paddles. Take note of the decorative checkerboard pattern on the large paddle on the right side...
Actor in Hiawatha [1903]
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1864-1952, photographer
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020637513
Another shot showcases the grip styles of the large steering paddles being used to lash open the door of the cloth teepee.
Actors in Hiawatha [1903]
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1864-1952, photographer
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020637514
These photos were taken from the annual "Hiawatha Pageant", a major tourist attraction in the Upper Great Lakes at the turn of the 20th century. Odawa and Ojibwa actors from Garden River First Nation (Gitigaan-ziibi Anishinaabe) as well as Waganakising Ottawa communities in Northern Michigan were recruited to take part in Louis Oliver Armstrong's theatrical production "Hiawatha, or, Nanabozho: An Ojibway Indian Play" inspired by Longfellow's epic poem "Song of Hiawatha." Though the costumes are more reflective of Plains Indian culture stereotype for white audiences, the group included some tribal paddles more reflective of Great Lakes canoe culture.
