Ska-ba-quay Tesson (c. 1846 – 1929, also known as A Ski Ba Qua[1] and Mrs. Joseph Tesson[2]) was a Meskwaki artist who is known for her textile art.
Biography
Tesson was born around 1846 and was part of the Meskwaki group of Native Americans.[3] When items were purchased from her, she was living in Tama, Iowa.[4] Tesson acted as a cultural informant for anthropologists studying her people.[5]
Work
Tesson's work, a yarn bag (c. 1900), in the collection of the National Museum of the American Indian in New York was attributed specifically to her, rather than to her tribal affiliation in 2010.[6] Her textile work consisted of twined storage bags that had a tapestry-like appearance.[2] Her work was based on traditional methods of weaving using nettle fiber and buffalo wool, but also incorporated new designs.[1][7] Tesson also made bags using buckskin and porcupine quills.[8]
References
- ^ a b Penney 1992, p. 126.
- ^ a b "Ska-ba-quay, bag - Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian". National Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- ^ "Record Bag | Collections Search Center". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- ^ Penney 1992, p. 133.
- ^ Michelson, Truman (1934). "The Identification of the Mascoutens". American Anthropologist. 36 (2): 227. doi:10.1525/aa.1934.36.2.02a00080 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Dobrzynski, Judith H. (2011-02-03). "At Denver Art Museum, American Indian Works as Art". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- ^ Hobbs, Robert (1989). "Constancy, Change, and Cultural Interaction in Mesquakie Art" (PDF). In Torrence, Gaylord; Hobbs, Robert (eds.). Art of the Red Earth People: The Mesquakie of Iowa. Iowa City: The University of Iowa Museum of Art. pp. 42. ISBN 9780295968315.
- ^ The Art of the Great Lakes Indians. Flint, Michigan: Flint Institute of Arts. 1973. pp. 6. OCLC 644545964.
Sources
- Penney, David W. (1992). Art of the American Indian frontier : the Chandler-Pohrt Collection. Detroit Institute of Arts., Buffalo Bill Historical Center., National Gallery of Art (U.S.). Detroit: Detroit Institute of Arts. ISBN 0295971738. OCLC 24627088.