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wasco hat

Wishram Woman with Cap, Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952), The North American Indian, Vol 8, p. 130 (1910). Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, The University of Montana, Missoula.

IMAGE INFORMATION

A Cap worn by the natives of Columbia River, and the Pacific Ocean

Object Status:

Unlocated

Accession Date:

December 28, 1809

Primary Source Reference:

Peale Museum Accessions Book, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, p. 45

Additional Source Text:

Poulson's American Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 1 Mar 1810 adds: "Made of grass."

This artifact appears on a long list of "Articles collected by Meriwether Lewis Esqr. and William Clark Esq. in their voyage and Journey of Discovery, up the Missouri to its source and to the Pacific Ocean, presented at different periods, through the president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson."

Notes:

Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) and William Clark (1770-1838) undertook their western Expedition in 1804-1806. "This was probably a Wasco/Wishram hat of the sort documented since the late eighteenth century and still made and worn today. A member of the Vancouver expedition collected a similar hat in 1792, which is in the collection of the British Museum." Mary Malloy, "Chinookan Woven Hats," at https://lewis-clark.org/native-nations/chinookan-peoples/chinookan-wove…