Silver trade brooch, ca. 1870
Item 25043 info
Maine Historical Society
Historically, non-Native silversmiths created the brooches, which were presented by government officials to Native leaders as diplomatic gifts and tokens of goodwill. This practice followed Indigenous traditions of reciprocity associated with wampum protocols.
This piece came from the family of James A. Purinton, a white Indian Agent who served at Old Town between 1860 and 1864.
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