Extra Large Mocuck – Etched Birch Bark Container with Figures

I’ve owned a lot of Northeastern etched bark containers over the years and this one is a real tour de force. It is signed on the inside of the lid “Tina Nattaway, Rapid Lake, Quebec.” The mocuck has three panels with elaborate figures. My favorite is the top depicting a bull moose in profile with trees in the background. A second panel is replete with birds including Canada Geese, ducks, and a Bald Eagle. Some of the birds are tiny; others large. The third panel depicts a sacred White Buffalo in line design, and within the buffalo is a slumped Native on horseback carrying a long spear – known as the “End of the Trail” theme. On the horse are various symbols. The mocuck measures 14″ long by 10 1/4″ long by 9″ high. It has an “endless braided strap” for carrying.  Rapid Lake is a First Nation reserve in Quebec, Canada. It belongs to the Algonquins of Barriere Lake of the Algonquin Nation.