Iroquois/Oneida Beaded Glengarry Bonnet

[revdpatience]

I'm intrigued to discover a fascinating crossover between Scottish heritage and Native American beadwork.

See the article here for a bit of the story. Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) women in western New York did a brisk business in souvenir beadwork for Victorian tourists to Niagara Falls, adorning Glengarry bonnets and smoking hats for men, bags and purses for women.

Here's a photo, from this website, of three typical examples.

10_glengarryhats.jpg

As someone of Scottish descent (Patience and McColl) who is serving as Vicar of Church of the Holy Apostles on the Oneida Indian Reservation, I'm seriously considering commissioning a local artist to make me a beaded Glengarry bonnet.

My Patience grandfather came to Florida (by way of Australia) around 1916, and my McColl relatives came directly from Glasgow to Chicago a few years before that. So none of my relatives would have been the Highlanders known to the Iroquois in New York.

Also interesting is that elements of this style of raised beadwork appeared in New York after the Oneida had migrated to Wisconsin in the 1820s, so it was rediscovered more recently by Oneida artists here (and has now become their preferred style).

[Luke MacGillie]

Have you read Morgan's mid 19th Century work on the Iroquois?

Also "Lewis Henry Morgan on Iroquois Material Culture" is another good book that has some interesting 19th Century information regarding the adoption of a form of Kilt, as well as a glengarryish cap as part of the traditional dress of the people.

[RodF]

Those are gorgeous bonnets and incredible craftsmanship. Further, commissioning a new one for your use could be a great opportunity to understand the process used to create those you saw. Wow.

[RichardtheLarge]

These are fascinating, and really serve the historical Scottish inclination towards a “riot of color”!

[revdpatience]

Luke, I haven’t yet read either of the two books you mention, so you’ve contributed to my growing library of work on the Oneida and Native Americans generally.

One of my parishioners, Gordy McLester, is an Oneida historian working on his 15th book (many co-written with Laurence Hauptmann of SUNY Oswego), so I got a good crash course when I came to the parish in late 2016.

Just finished an interesting book by Colin G. Calloway entitled White People, Indians, and Highlanders (Oxford 2008).

Have you read Morgan's mid 19th Century work on the Iroquois?

Also "Lewis Henry Morgan on Iroquois Material Culture" is another good book that has some interesting 19th Century information regarding the adoption of a form of Kilt, as well as a glengarryish cap as part of the traditional dress of the people.

[Me cousin Jack]

The textures of the thistle would lend itself well to bead work.

[Luke MacGillie]

Luke, I haven’t yet read either of the two books you mention, so you’ve contributed to my growing library of work on the Oneida and Native Americans generally.

One of my parishioners, Gordy McLester, is an Oneida historian working on his 15th book (many co-written with Laurence Hauptmann of SUNY Oswego), so I got a good crash course when I came to the parish in late 2016.

Just finished an interesting book by Colin G. Calloway entitled White People, Indians, and Highlanders (Oxford 2008).

Calloway is one of my favorite authors. The chapter on the Mohawk/Lenape/Oneida village of Oquaga in his book “The American Revolution in Indian Country” would be worth a read. Especially to better understand events like the Cherry Valley “Massacre”. Oquaga was just down the river a bit from Cooperstown, near present day Bainbridge.