The covenant chain : Indian ceremonial and trade silver

Type

Book

Authors

N. Jaye Fredrickson ( Fredrickson, N. Jaye )

ISBN 10

0660103486

ISBN 13

9780660103488

Tags

Indigenous silverwork -- North America -- Exhibitions, Iroquois silverwork -- Exhibitions, Indigenous silverwork, Iroquois silverwork, Indigenous silverwork -- Pictorial works, Indigenous silverwork -- History

Abstract

"The covenant chain is the symbol of a pledge of friendship. Historically, it represented Indian-European alliances in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century New England and New York. Symbolically, it has come to mean much more. This exhibition and its catalogue shed new light on a previously unexplored aspect of the fur trade in North America. In presenting a different perspective on eighteenth-century Canadian silversmiths, we can see the far-reaching implications of the fur trade. Also revealed are the close links between the sophisticated colonial craft of silversmithing and the evolving material culture of the North American Indian."--Amazon.

Biblio Notes

Contents:
The fur trade: its cultural significance --
Introduction of silver to the Indians --
Production of silver in North America --
Indian trade silver: the height of its popularity --
The uses and significance of silver in Indian culture --
Iroquois silversmiths --
Catalogue / Sandra Gibb --
Lenders to the exhibition --
Gifts of silver --
The medal tradition --
Trading ceremonies --
Silver as a trade good --
The silversmiths --
The manufacture of silver ornaments --
The value of silver --
European origins --
Indian designs --
Marks of ownership --
Wearing the silver --
Modern Iroquois silversmiths.

Number of Copies