Mi'kmaq crafts person
Christiana Morris |
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| Born | Mali Christianne Paul Mollise
ca. 1804
Nova Scotia, Canada |
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| Died | ca. 1886
Nova Scotia, Canada |
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| Known for | Quillwork |
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| Spouse | Tom Mollise |
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Christiana Morris (c. 1804–1886) was a Mi'kmaq crafts person, known for her skill at porcupine quillwork, as well as her respected position in 19th century Halifax, Nova Scotia.[1]
Biography
Christiana Morris was the anglicized name for Mali Christianne Paul Mollise.[2] She was born ca. 1804 in the Stewiacke area of Nova Scotia.[2] At a young age Morris wed Tom Mollise, a man much older than she, who died shortly after the marriage.[1] Although she never remarried, she did adopt a son, Joe, and took in an orphaned niece.[1][2]
Morris was known to two Commissioners of Indian Affairs; Joseph Howe and Col. William Chearnley.[2] Morris was granted a piece of land in Halifax after presenting Queen Victoria with a pair of quillwork moccasins.[1] Some of the several examples of anonymously crafted Mi'kmaw quillwork and clothing in the British Royal Collection are likely Morris' work.[3]
Morris exhibited in Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibitions in 1845, 1854, and 1868. She won several prizes for her work, including, in 1854, First Prize for best full-sized birch bark canoe.[1][2] Morris' large body of work is now represented by just two pieces: a wooden hooded cradle decorated with quillwork panels and a pair of snowshoes made for a mayor of Halifax.[3] The former work is housed in the DesBrisay Museum, in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia and the latter is in the collection of the Nova Scotia Museum.[3]
Around Halifax, Morris donned traditional native garb, including a pointed cap. Her outfits provided a showcase for her crafts work. Additionally, she was sought after as a model.[2] Morris died in Nova Scotia, the probable date of her death is 1886.[2]
References
