Tea Caddy

Made as a trade item for non-native consumption, this birch bark tea container represents a category of domestic object not known in the Indigenous world until the arrival of the Europeans. However, the material from which it is made adapted perfectly to this use. Birch bark is waterproof when solid and is also antimicrobial, making it ideal for keeping household pests out of the tea. Flowers, crosses, and ribbons are sewn with dyed quills of red, white, and blue on the outside of this container. These floral motifs lend a feminine touch which would have made it more appealing to its intended audience - the ladies of European households. According to family history, this birch bark canister was acquired in 1844 by George Mountain while on a missionary trip from Montreal to the Red River Settlement.