Bat

Name (French):
Name (Innu):	utamanikaiashkᵘ / utamaikanashkᵘ
Date Collected:	1900 - 1918
Institutions:	The Rooms, Provincial Museum Division
Catalog Number:	III-B-55
Place Made:	unknown
Maker:	displayed as part of a collection of "music, games and toys 'made and presented to the Museum by Richard White between the years 1900 and 1918'"
Collector:	Richard White

Description:

Bat construction and shape similar to that of a snowshoe. Sinew strung through wooden frame, woven into net. Wooden frame doubled into loop with handle bound by rawhide thong wrapped around groove.

References:

MacKenzie Shoebox dictionary 2003. Lynn Drapeau. 1999. Dictionnaire Montagnais-français. Sainte-Foy: Presses de l’Université du Québec.

Innu Narrative:

“I would call it uetamanikeask. This is used for hitting the ball.” Pinamen (Rich) Katshinak

“For playing ball and hitting the ball with it. I never saw one like that.” Uniam Katshinak

Other Info:

MacKenzie Shoebox dictionary lists utamaikanashku/utamanikeashku as “hammer handle; baseball bat, drum beater.” There is no reference to this object in either of the VanStone publications (1982, 1985) or Turner (1979[1894]).

Drapeau lists utamaikan as “marteau, massue (hammer, club).”

The name for this bat is uncertain.