Ethnology Collection - Mi’kmaq Mission Collection Canister

A Rare Offering

View interactive 360° view

Mission Saint-Anne was established at present-day Shubenacadie in the 1720s by Quebec-born missionary Abbé Antoine Gaulin. Like any church, the mission depended on its congregation for support. This tin collection canister from the 1800s is very rare. Think of how noisy collection time must have been, with the jangling of each metal-on-metal offering. Things grew quieter when Mi’kmaw canisters like this one were eventually replaced by rectangular, checker-woven ash collection baskets. The mission was relocated to nearby Indian Brook in 1821 where it continues to serve the community as St. Catherine’s Parish.