Birch-bark basket (makuk) with two hinged lids (one on top of the other), both of which are inscribed in ink.

This basket is one of more than a dozen birchbark containers presented as gifts to Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) in September 1860 by Michi Saagiig women. The prince visited the community at Rice Lake Village (now Hiawatha First Nation), Ontario, during a landmark two-month tour of Canada – the first royal tour of these territories.

 The baskets are known as ‘makaks’ in Anishnaabemowin, an Indigenous language spoken by the Mississauga First Nation community. Most are decorated with porcupine quillwork using a combination of Indigenous geometric and European-inspired floral designs. Unusually, the names of the women who made the makaks are preserved, on handwritten paper labels or quilled birchbark tags.

 The meeting at Rice Lake was an important opportunity for community members to acknowledge and renew their special relationship with the Crown. Gimaa (Chief) Paudash made a speech expressing their identity as sovereign nations allied to the Crown – a bond which stretched back hundreds of years. The presentation of the makaks and other gifts signified the renewal of these allegiances and obligations.

 After the prince’s return to Britain, the makaks were displayed in the Swiss Cottage Museum at Osborne House, Isle of Wight.

The maker of this makak, Sarah Copway (family name is now Coppaway), was born at Rice Lake. The 1861 census lists her as aged 60, a widow, unable to read or write, and living in a log home with Betsey and John Crowe and family. Biographical information provided by Dr Laura Peers and Dr Lori Beavis.