Birch Bark Basket
MCHS has been collecting objects of historical interest since the 1950s (and also inherited collections before this point). And not all objects have a clear provenance to tell us where they came from and what they are. One of the ongoing projects our curators work on, is to process the odd things that we come across that were never properly added to the collections. The donors of these objects might not think it important to tell us the story, or possibly never quite knew themselves. In other cases the paperwork of something brought in for
In this case, the uncertainty in the object’s origin is even more complicated, because it is almost certainly originally created from Native Americans. Whether because the original donor didn’t think it was worth giving us, or perhaps because they themselves didn’t know the speicifics, we don’t know where this basket originated. Our limited records include a brief note that it may have been from the
The Complicated Story of “Indian Artifacts”
For most Americans, the story of the peoples native to this area is one of past occupancy. They were here, but after treaties were signed, their traditional lands were taken by the Americans who came to lumber and farm. In this way of understanding Indian history,
In reality, the treaties with tribal nations did not lead to the removal of Indian presence in Marathon County, far from it. The Ojibwe/Chippewa continued to exercise their rights to fish and hunt on their
The Complicated Story of “Indian Artifacts”
One of the more colorful residents of Marathon County in the 1930s, was that of Hugo Munn. He was well respected for his ability as a decorator and interior designer, for example he regularly traveled to state conventions to help build and design displays. But he also supposedly said to be the foremost expert in the state on native crafts. He had spent years amassing a what was considered the largest collection of indian artifacts in Wisconsin. Contemporary sources said of him that he had become so knowledgable about the various artistic pieces, that he had even taught some natives the crafts that they themselves had lost over time.
Having spent much of his life among native groups, Munn was also an advocate for their well being. For example he publically disagreed with P.E. Everest, the government agent overseeing the LaPointe Reservation near Ashland. Everest represented the paternalistic philosophy that sought to provide aid to native Americans by sending their children to schools, providing business education, and insisting they adopt farming. Munn spoke up to agree that the plight of natives on the reservation was far from ideal, but disagreed with Everest, “in the matter of making farmers out of most of the Indians. They should have the privilege of choosing the job or profession they like best.”
Over the 1930s, Munn went further by helping
