June 21 was National Indigenous Peoples Day and this week we are featuring an artifact from our collection. This powder horn is beautifully decorated with birds, leaves, plants and animals. The leaves and branches on this horn are reminiscent of the designs commonly used on Iroquoian or Ojibwe porcupine quill-decorated bags of the period. Powder horns were used for carrying gun powder and were made from the horn of a cow or ox. This powder horn was given by Mohawk leader Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant) to Jean Baptiste Rousseaux, who was a fur trader and an interpreter with the British Indian Department. Thayendanegea must have held Rousseaux in high regard to provide such a wonderfully ornate piece.