Response By
Bimadoshka (Annya) Pucan
McClary Manufacturing Co. “Tecumseh” Bread Box, early 1900s
metal and enamel Gift of Jane Bondy, 1990Response
Colonization sees nature as wild and dangerous. The forests, the animals, and the people who inhabit North America are in need of civilization. The bread box celebrates the conquering of the wilderness. Adding Tecumseh reinforces this idea because the Americans saw Tecumseh, a powerful Shawnee leader, as wild and dangerous. Tecumseh’s death in the War of 1812 is celebrated as a victory by the Americans. The bread box is a daily reminder of the colonization of North America and its inhabitants.
Bimadoshka (Annya) Pucan is an Assistant Professor at the School of Public Affairs at Concordia University, in Montreal. She holds a PhD in anthropology from Western University. A member of Saugeen First Nation, she has focused her scholarly research on audio recordings from the 1930s that share conversations, songs, and stories of the Anishinaabeg.