Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

UMBILICAL CORD

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

BEADS, BUCKSKIN

No. Pieces

1

Height

2.9

Length

14.0

Width

7.3

Description

DORSAL SURFACE BUCKSKIN COVERED WITH GEOMETRIC BEADWORK DESIGN IN BLACK AND WHITE BEADS. VENTRAL SURFACE BUCKSKIN. HANDMADE. CONSERVATION REPORT ON FILE.

Subjects

INDIGENOUS

ADORNMENT

Historical Association

ETHNOGRAPHIC

History

DONOR CLAIMS MADE BY SIOUX & TRADED OR GIVEN TO BLOODS. THIS TYPEOF TURTLE UMBILICAL CHARM WORN BY FEMALE CHILDREN (SNAKE CHARMS WORN BY BOYS) UMBILICAL CORDS OF NEW-BORN WERE PLACED IN A BEADED CASE & WORN BY CHILD UNTIL ADOLESCENCE AS PROTECTIVE CHARM. *UPDATE* IN 2014 LOUISE-MARIE CROP EARED WOLF, A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI NATION, AND A FOURTH YEAR NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES MAJOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE COMPLETED AN APPLIED STUDIES PROJECT WITH THE COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT AT THE GALT MUSEUM. SHE PHOTOGRAPHED ETHNOGRAPHIC ARTIFACTS ASSOCIATED WITH FIRST NATIONS CULTURES IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND WROTE THE FOLLOWING TEXT TO PRESENT HER FOCUSED RESEARCH ON FOUR SPECIFIC ARTIFACTS (P19641186000, P19780209000, P19780208000, AND P19790235000): “I WANT TO DISPLAY THE KAINAI WOMEN BEADED ITEMS FROM THE GALT MUSEUM COLLECTIONS FOR THEIR ARTISTIC MERIT AND NOT JUST FOR THEIR ETHNOLOGICAL VALUE. THE FOUR ARTIFACTS SELECTED ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF FOUR GENERATIONS OF BEADERS: GRANDMOTHERS, MOTHERS, SISTER, AND DAUGHTERS. THE COLOURS ARE MEANINGFUL AND THE TRADITIONAL SYMBOLS ARE USED THROUGHOUT. THE ADHERENCE TO THE TRADITION, HOWEVER, DOES NOT SUPPRESS ARTISTIC EXPRESSION; THE BEADERS USE A FAIR DEGREE OF CREATIVITY IN THEIR CHOICE OF MATERIALS, SYMBOLS AND COLORS. THE ART OF BEADING IS NOT A “DYING ART” – IT IS THE ARTISTS, ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND IT IS A “LIVING ART”. FOR GENERATIONS, KAINAI WOMEN BEADERS AND CLOTHING DESIGNERS HAVE BEEN MAKING CLOTHING FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. THE BEADED CLOTHING HONOURS THE FAMILY FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT IN A CONTINUOUS CIRCLE OF HONOURING. THE BEADED CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES SUCH AS MOCCASINS, LEGGINGS, AND BELTS, COMMUNICATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FAMILY AND ILLUSTRATE HOW TRADITIONS ARE PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS. THE BEADED WORK CONNECTS A BEADING ARTIST TO HER ANCESTORS. EVERY MOTIF, DESIGN, COLOUR OF SEED BEADS, STANDS FOR SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO THE ARTIST’S FAMILY, REFLECTING THE ARTIST’S SURROUNDINGS AND REINFORCING HER CULTURAL VALUES. LEARNING BY OBSERVATION, AN ARTIST PAYS RESPECT TO THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE KAINAI WOMEN BEADERS. THIS IS A PROTECTIVE SYMBOL OF THE TURTLE THAT IS WORN BY CHILDREN INTO THEIR ADOLESCENCE. THE GRANDMOTHER ENCASES THE UMBILICAL CORD IN ELK HIDE THAT IS CUT IN THE SHAPE OF TURTLE FOR GIRLS AND LIZARDS FOR BOYS; BOTH HAVE APPLICATION COLOURED SEED BEADS. THE DESIGN USES CONTRASTING BLACK AND WHITE BEADS TO EMULATE THE SHAPE AND TEXTURE OF THE ANIMAL. THE ITEM IS WORN ON THE BACK OF A DRESS ATTACHED NEAR THE NECK. THE ITEM INSURES THE SAFETY AND PROTECTION FROM INFANCY INTO ADULTHOOD." *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON ASKED TWO FORMER MEMBERS OF THE LETHBRIDGE JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, PHIL EDMUNDSON AND PAUL RUSZNAK, ABOUT THE FIRST NATIONS ARTIFACTS THAT THE GROUP DONATED TO THE GALT MUSEUM IN 1964, 1969, AND 1973. NEITHER RECALLED HOW THE JAYCEES CAME INTO OWNERSHIP OF THE ARTIFACTS, AS THEIR ACQUISITION PREDATED BOTH EDMUNDSON AND RUSZNAK’S MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHAMBER. RESEARCH CONDUCTED INTO LETHBRIDGE’S GURNEY MUSEUM FOUND A CONNECTION BETWEEN ITS PROPRIETOR, WALTER GURNEY, AND THE JAYCEES, WHO ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE FROM THE APRIL 16, 1946 ISSUE OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD ADVOCATED ON GURNEY’S BEHALF FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE TO THE FORMER BOARD OF TRADE BUILDING WHERE THE MUSEUM WAS HOUSED. AN ARTICLE FROM THE JULY 13, 1948 ISSUE OF THE HERALD DESCRIBES SOME OF THE FIRST NATIONS ARTIFACTS ON DISPLAY IN THE MUSEUM: “TOMAHAWKS, ARROW HEADS, PEACE PIPES, BEAD AND LEATHER WORK, CLOTHING AND WOODCRAFT”. UPON THE CLOSURE OF THE MUSEUM AND SALE OF GURNEY’S COLLECTION TO BELMORE SCHULTZ OF THE ALTAMONT MUSEUM IN COUTTS, MENTION WAS MADE IN A HERALD ARTICLE FROM MAY 16, 1961 OF “HISTORICAL INDIAN RELICS THAT BELONG TO THE JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAVE BEEN RETAINED IN THE CITY AND WILL BE AVAILABLE WHEN PROPER DISPLAY FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE”. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE ARTIFACTS WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE JAYCEES BY GURNEY DURING THE DISSOLUTION OF HIS MUSEUM, BUT NO FURTHER CONFIRMATION WAS FOUND. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE GURNEY MUSEUM AND ITS COLLECTION, SEE RECORD P19890044001.

UPDATE 16 AUGUST 2017: ON 25 JULY 2017, MUSEUM CURATOR AIMEE BENOIT FOUND EVIDENCE TO CONNECT THE INDIGENOUS COLLECTION DONATED BY THE LETHBRIDGE JAYCEES (AKA. JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE) WITH FORMER LETHBRIDGE RESIDENTS THE LATE FRED BOTSFORD AND HIS LATE DAUGHTER DOROTHY CLARK. NOTES MADE BY AIMEE ON THE DISCOVERY AS WELL AS RELEVANT CLIPPINGS FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD CAN BE FOUND ATTACHED TO THE PERMANENT FILE OF P19641140000.

Catalogue Number

P19641186000

Acquisition Date

1964-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail