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Detail 1

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Native people made dolls, miniature weapons and model canoes for the curio trade beginning in the early to mid 18th centuries. This canoe is made of birch bark and has a double curve motif often associated with Northeast native peoples. This canoe, from northeastern Maine or New Brunswick, was donated to the Deerfield Academy museum around 1800 by James Sullivan. In 1796 Sullivan worked for the United States government and went to Halifax, Nova Scotia to determine the boundaries of Maine, which became a separate state in 1820. It is likely that he purchased or traded for this canoe model while in Canada.

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