Mi'kmaq Jacket

Mi’kmaq Jacket
(Wool cloth, ribbon, cotton cloth, glazed cotton, silk ribbon, metal brooch, metal beads, glass beads, cotton thread)
Unknown
1845-1855, 19th century
© McCord Museum, Montreal
Accession no. M8371.1

The Mi’kmaq were among the first Aboriginal people in North America to experience continual cultural contact with European settlers. Beginning in the sixteenth century, the Mi’kmaq began to acquire, through trade, European manufactured items such as guns, knives, kettles and cloth. Aboriginals often embellished these goods to reflect their own cultural traditions. This woman’s garment provides an excellent example of maintaining cultural continuity with new materials. Sewn using European textiles, this ceremonial skirt and bolero jacket are decorated with yellow and red ribbon; both colors had special meaning in Mi’kmaq society. The cuffs of the jacket and belt on the skirt are beaded with a floral motif, which had been used in Mi’kmaq art for generations. Before cheap mass-produced beads were introduced, this decoration would have been worked in porcupine quills.