A Cree or Cree-Metis embroidered and beaded Tab Bag or Octopus Bag. The front is made up of two parts: the top is dark blue cloth embroidered with a red, green, white, and orange patterned boarder, inside which is a single, central, floral design. The bottom section is made from ten cloth tassels (or tabs), boarded in red with white beads. The bottom of each has cotton fringing bound in red, white and blue beads. These bags were developed by the Cree/Cree-Metis and the tabbed bags were taken up by other first Nation groups with their shapes and designs adapted. The bags were worn on ceremonial occasions as well as being a practical item to store fire-making tools or medicines. These were traditionally made by women.

This one of a number of Cree/Cree-Metis objects brought back by Admiral Sir George Back (1796-1878) from Canada during one of the three overland expeditions that he participated in or, in the case of the 1833-1835 expedition, led. However, we do not know from which the Tab Bag/Octopus Bag was acquired.