Tipatshimuna 
Description:
Armband consists of a rectangle (5.5″ long by 2″ wide) of trade beads woven into milk-white background with red and brass-coloured rectangles at one side, a brass line along one edge and a central repeating pattern of two red and one brass triangle. Opposite edge has fringes of alternating white and gold coloured beads, tied into three loops with circle of gold beads at the bottom of each. Skin strips knotted at edges. Four deerskin thongs (approximately 7″ long and 0.365″ wide) tied to each corner.
References:
James W. VanStone. 1985. Material Culture of the Davis Inlet and Barren Ground Naskapi: the William Duncan Strong Collection. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History. Fieldiana, Anthropology New Series No.7. Lynn Drapeau. 1999. Dictionnaire Montagnais-français. Sainte-Foy: Presses de l’Université du Québec. MacKenzie Shoebox dictionary 2003.
Innu Narrative:
“Mispishun (wristband). Mispishuna (wristbands).” Munik (Gregoire) Rich.
Other Info:
MacKenzie lists mishpishun as “main line for snowshoe webbing. Line around edge.” but says this definition needs to be checked. Drapeau lists mishpishun as “maître-brin dans le tissage des raquettes (master strand in snowshoe weaving).”
The original catalogue label for this object was “pendant,” but it is more likely to be the “armband” collected by William Duncan Strong and described by VanStone. Peter Armitage note.
“Armbands were worn over clothing, presumably by both men and women. The collection contains six pairs and six single specimens. The weaving technique for all of them is similar to that described previously for the type 1″ headbands… Two pairs have milk glass buttons sewn at one end to fit through loops of thread-wrapped skin at the other… All the single armbands have loops of beads attached to the lower edge… Geometric designs in a wide variety of colors pre-dominate on these armbands, with the whale tail motif also present. Turner does not mention armbands, nor does Strong have anything to say about them in his diaries and field notes” – VanStone (1985:31).
Verify the name and function of this object.