Research Request Leads to Vacuuming

Research Request Leads to Vacuuming

Three individuals at the ends of a green cariole sledge mounted on a wall.

Recently, researcher Tim Worth requested access to the cariole, a toboggan-like sled, on exhibit in the Hudson’s Bay Company Gallery. Curator Katherine Pettipas agreed it would be a good opportunity to clean the cariole and assess its current condition. The work was scheduled for a Monday, a closed day, to minimize disruption for any visitors. Conservators Ellen Robinson and Lisa May, with assistance from Tim Worth and myself, took the cariole off its shelf, put it on a dolly and took it up to the HBC Lab, where Tim was able to make a thorough examination. He was joined by conservator Rick Lair from Parks Canada, a furniture and wood expert. While the cariole was in the lab, Ellen took the time to give it a thorough vacuuming, inside and out.

 

Image: The cariole is lifted off its shelf.

Collections Assistant Nancy Anderson took numerous photos to enhance the conservation documentation. The interior fabric, a luxurious velvet, had undergone previous conservation treatment by Parks Canada conservator Lorrie Storr. Tim completed his examination and the cariole was returned to its exhibit location at the end of the day. All in all, many people were pleased!

Several individuals working together to lift down a green cariole sledge from display.

We slid the cariole down on a piece of wood.

Four individuals standing around a cariole sledge on a table in a museum lab.

We all wanted to take a good look.

Three individuals around a cariole sledge on a table in a museum lab. Two are in discussion, and the third is vacuuming the inside of the cariole.

Rick and Tim look at construction details while Ellen vacuums the interior.

Close up on a side of the inside of a cariole on a display in a museum lab. Some repair work has been done along one of the edges.

The damage has been repaired with a backing fabric.

Fairly Scientific Community Science Fair

If you’re like me, we probably look back on your elementary school days with a mixture of nostalgia and dread. Yes, your hair really was that bad back then! However, there were likely some standout moments as well. For me, it was the annual science fair – the time of the year it was OK to be a science geek. I remember the brainstorming for topics, the hand-lettered backboards with pencil crayon drawings, the obligatory volcano and solar system model made of Styrofoam balls. For me, the science fair led me to a career in science communication – now I have a nicer backboard and better pencil crayons, but essentially I get to do science fairs every day!

A poster for the Fairly Scientific community science fair on Saturday, April 9, 2011.

Most people think they can’t do that sort of thing anymore – but now you can. “Fairly Scientific” is a community science fair open to anyone. Your project must be on a standard tri-fold cardboard or foam core backboard, but other than that you can do any sort of project you want (well, no explosives, toxic fumes, or injuries allowed). There will be a volcano contest for those who don’t want to do a full-on project.

So, who is this for? Well, students who want to continue their school science fair projects for one, but it’s especially aimed at the people who don’t get to do science fair projects any more. Folks who watch “Mythbusters” and always wanted to try something like that; grad students who want to take their thesis topic and have some fun with it for a public audience; basement tinkerers or inventors who want to show off their latest creation; it’s all appropriate for the science fair.

The projects will all be on display in the Planetarium Concourse downstairs at The Manitoba Museum on Saturday, April 9 as part of our Yuri’s Night celebrations. To get involved, contact Fairly Scientific.

Scott Young

Scott Young

Planetarium Astronomer

Scott is the Planetarium Astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, developing astronomy and science programs. He has been an informal science educator for thirty years, working in the planetarium and science centre field both at The Manitoba Museum and also at the Alice G. Wallace Planetarium in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Scott is an active amateur astronomer and a past-President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Pest Monitoring is Another Important Task

As well as temperature and RH, the Conservator also conducts pest monitoring. At the Manitoba Museum, we mostly check for insects. Sticky traps in storage and laboratory areas are checked; if a large number of insects are seen, we investigate, looking in the surrounding area more thoroughly. We often find one or two insects on the trap; one or two doesn’t indicate a problem, but is considered a normal condition. And not every insect is one that will feed on our collections.

Museum pests can include mice and squirrels, as well as insects. Although we have had a few problems with mice in the past, our current pest monitoring program focuses on insects.

A small folded triangle shaped pest trap.

Individual traps are place in corners and along walls, and checked monthly.

A sheet of three pest traps before they've been folded.

Sheets of sticky traps are available from pest extermination companies.

As part of their training, Conservators learn about different aspects of the museum environment – temperature, RH, light, atmospheric pollutants – and how these can interact with objects to cause damage and deterioration. Conservators also learn about museum pests, and must become familiar with the common pests they will encounter. We keep examples of insects found in the Museum, for reference and comparison.

A museum storage drawer containing a series of pinned insects and labels.

Examples of insects found at The Manitoba Museum.

Close-up on several pinned insects and labels in a storage case.

Insects are identified as harmless or harmful to the collections.

Jupiter and Mercury Visible After Sunset This Week

If you head outside a half-hour after sunset this week, you can spot the largest and smallest* planets in our solar system right next to each other. The giant planet Jupiter is just ending its months-long appearance in the sky, slipping slowly down towards the sun. This week, the tiny planet Mercury is moving upwards from the horizon, putting in a quick appearance before also disappearing into the sun’s glare. On March 14 and 15, the two planets will be about 2 degrees apart – that’s only about the width of four full moons in the sky. They’ll easily fit into the field of view of pretty much any household binoculars.

If you watch them from night to night, you’ll see the clockwork dance of the heavens: Mercury and Jupiter will change their relative positions from night to night, not just due to their own motion but that of our planet as well. The ground you’re standing on is part of this ballet, orbiting the sun along with Mercury and Jupiter.

The best nights to see this are March 14th and 15th, but Mercury should still be visible for another week or so after that. SkyNews Magazine rates this one of the top 11 celestial events this year.

 

*Yes, Mercury is the smallest planet which orbits the Sun; Pluto is still a “dwarf planet” along with Eris and Ceres.

Scott Young

Scott Young

Planetarium Astronomer

Scott is the Planetarium Astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, developing astronomy and science programs. He has been an informal science educator for thirty years, working in the planetarium and science centre field both at The Manitoba Museum and also at the Alice G. Wallace Planetarium in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Scott is an active amateur astronomer and a past-President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

The Birch Bark Canoe: Step 1

By Kevin Brownlee, past Curator of Archaeology

 

The best way to understand any skill or expertise is by trying it out. Experimental archaeology attempts to replicate past activities to improve our understanding and interpretation of archaeological material. My interest in experimental archaeology is broad since I am interested in all aspects of past technology, working stone, clay, bone, antler, wood, bark, and hides.

In some cases I am replicating tools that I have recovered or items from the collection in other cases I am learning from Elders and knowledgeable community members on traditional activities. I have learned how to tan hides and make birch bark baskets from the First Nation community members. In other cases I have learned on my own how to make bone and antler tools. Here are a few pictures when I used a replica antler pick (not original) to see if it would chop through lake ice at -30.

An individual wearing full winter wear, kneeling on a snowy outcropping. They hold a long stick, pick type impliment.

Experimental archaeology using antler pick.

An individual kneeling over a whole cut into deep ice, and reaching in with a stick-like tool.

Experimental archaeology chopping hole in ice.

Close up on two mitted hands holding chunks of ice, and the tip of a white antler tool.

Results of chopping hole in lake ice with tool.

This past August my wife Myra and I were taught how to make a birch bark canoe by Jim Jones Jr. and Grant Goltz who are colleagues of ours in Minnesota. Jim Jones Jr. is an Ojibway Archaeologist and member of the Leech Lake Band working for the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. Grant Goltz is a consulting archaeologist and is a master of many skills and makes traditional First Nation pottery, birch bark canoes, kayaks, furniture, and guitars, to name a few. Grant started making canoes in 1995 when he and his wife Christy taught an archaeology field school. The students learned how to make a canoe during the 6 weeks of the field school and everyone involved gained a better appreciation of this ancient craft. Since then he has made 20 – 30 birch bark canoes. The most famous was 27.5 feet long and was paddled from Portland Oregon to York Factory Manitoba.

Four birchbark canoes laying on braces on a lawn.

Canoes at Grant and Christy’s home.

Two individuals with heads close together seated on either side of a picnic table looking at a book showing styles of canoes.

Planning the canoe.

We began on a warm afternoon on the property of Grant Goltz and Christy Cain. We examined many books on the subject of birch bark canoes in order to decide what kind or shape to make. None of the books that Grant had provided good examples of northern Boreal Forest Cree canoe so we decided to make one that I found esthetically pleasing. It was called an early Algonquian Canoe “from the Ottawa River valley”. We made a few adjustments to the plan making a 15 foot canoe, 38 inches wide at the middle thwart. We also raised the height of the canoe at both the stern and bow and flattened the bottom somewhat following images of model canoes.

A sketch showing the end of a canoe with notes and measurements.

Sketch of canoe.

Sketch of a full canoe with notes and measurements for construction.

As we headed for bed that night Grant told Myra and I to get a good night sleep as we were going to be up early the next morning to gather spruce roots before the heat of the mid day.