Beaver Clan Canoe Cup
Beaver Clan Canoe Cup
Beaver Clan Canoe Cup Birch wood white tailed Deer antler cotton lashing
Billy Logan, Onondaga, Turtle clan
The canoe cup is a utilitarian item that pre colonial indigenous drinking vessel which was very popular with early colonizers from the 1600s through the 1800s.
There are still a few in museums and galleries today. Due to the organic nature of the material (wood) and the ability to discard utilitarian items when they are no longer useful, many of these items have not survived the ages.
The canoe cup or belt cup was attached to the sash by a toggle at the end of a leather string or another rope or string that was available. It was used to keep on long trips navigating the tributaries of the Eastern Woodlands.
During the 1600s beaver pelt were highly sought after to be exported to Europe mostly for hats. Many of the canoe cups had beaver effigies placed on them, as well as fish, mermaids, and other good luck totems for hunters and voyagers.
Indigenous people of the era may have some symbolic identification for heritage purposes, but I have not found evidence. Most items had symbolic meaning and often these effigies were carrying the power of the spirits through the objects.
This piece is a modern interpretation of the symbolic utilitarian drinking vessel. The cup itself is made from birch, a wood that was used by the ancestors known for its waterproof properties. The cup was made in the kuksa method, being a ine piece handcarved wooden cup. Sunflower oil along with my signature organic paste wax finish was used to seal the cup.
The beaver clan of the Haudenosaunee is one of the water phratries and is known for great productivity, teamwork, and industrialization. In addition Wampum belt designs were etched into the bottom to represent the connection to our ancestors and our generation.
The toggle is made from a white tailed deer antler with a carved eagle head and a cotton cord four plait braid as a connector.
I hope you like this piece and contact me if you have any questions.
