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More about Snowshoes

E7470-0 - SnowshoesBack

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Description

These long, teardrop-shaped snowshoes are rounded and upturned at the front ('toe)' and pointed at the tail. The frame of each is made from wood, probably willow, joined at the at the tail by a thong and at the toe by a splice that is wrapped with a thong. The sides of the frame are braced apart with three wood cross-bars mortised into the frame. The space for the foot between the foremost bar and the next one back is netted using hide thongs. Fore and aft of those bars is finer and more closely spaced meshing made with thinner thongs, or 'babiche'. Additional thongs attached at the centreline hold sets of three red and blue beads. At several points those thongs and adjacent sections of the netting have been stained with red ochre.

Information from the Smithsonian

FROM CARD: "7470-1. MODEL 1--ROUND FRAME; ROUND-POINTED TOE, STRONGLY CURVED UP; BROAD HEEL, TERMINATING IN SHORT, SHARP POINT. NETTING CLOSE AND FINE OF LINE CUT FROM PREPARED DEERSKINS, CALLED BABICHE, ROVE THROUGH FRAME; THAT UNDER FOOT BEING COARSER AND MORE OPEN. PAINTED AND ORNAMENTED WITH LINE OF LARGE BLUE GLASS BEADS ALONG MIDDLE OF NETTING. 7470-L. 23", GREATEST BREADTH 4 1/2". 7471-L. 33", GREATEST BREADTH 9". A NATION OF NATIONS 12/75. LOAN RETURNED AUG 1988."

  • Collection: Macfarlane Collection
  • Catalogue Number: E7470-0
  • Object Type: snowshoe
  • Materials: hide, wood, bead, ochre
  • Manufacturing Techniques: cutting, drilling, mortising, weaving
  • Tags: transportation

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