Weaving together a tradition

Demonstation celebrates Wabanaki crafts, culture and confidence

Posted on Dec. 07, 2009, at 1:04 a.m.

The low, pulsating beat of a drum accompanied by tribal melodies reverberated throughout the Collins Center for the Arts. Purveyors of baskets, paintings, carvings and metallurgy lined the walls in this celebration of Wabanaki art, heritage and culture.

The 2009 Annual Indian Basketmakers Sale and Demonstration took place Saturday in the Hudson Museum. The event showcased crafts from the Penobscot, Micmacs, Maliseet and Passamaquoddy tribes.

The festive event was a commemoration of honor and pride in one’s heritage. Some wore elaborate traditional outfits; others were dressed more plainly but showed just as much pride in their simple mannerisms. As tribe members danced around the drumming circle, they seemed to weave a path through history.

Associate director of the Wabanaki Center John Bear Mitchell was master of ceremonies at the event, making sure everything ran smoothly.

“[The event] is an extension for bringing an ancient people of Maine into the modern times and to be able to highlight that in an educational way,” Mitchell said. “At the same time, many of the basketmakers are earning their living of these crafts, off this art.”

Mitchell worked closely with the event’s organizers, Gretchen Faulkner of the Hudson Museum and Teresa Hoffman, director of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance. Native and non-Native students helped out throughout the day as well.

Mitchell was excited about the event’s move into the CCA. The event has been held in the UMaine Student Recreation and Fitness Center for the past two years, which caused problems.

“[The Rec Center] is a great venue, but it’s very hard to hear in there,” Mitchell said. “We were in the indoor hockey arena, and it was just like being in a really echoey cave.”

The other advantage of the Hudson Museum was having a strictly attentive audience, according to Mitchell. Instead of having gym-goers milling about as well, the only people at the demonstration were there for the event.

Family played an important role, as members of all generations gathered at the event.

Ken Hamilton of Cornith, whose wife is a basketmaker, started coming to the event years ago. He makes reproductions of 17th and 18th century trade goods and was welcomed to join the event to sell his craft, even though he was a non-Native.

“I’m trying to make regional-style trade silver, or treaty silver,” Hamilton said.

He described how certain areas had distinctive markings, which he tries to replicate in his work.

Basketmaker Peter Neptune of Perry has been making baskets since he was 8 years old. He has been attending the demonstration since it began 14 years ago.

“My parents made baskets, my grandparents made baskets and I just got interested,” Neptune said. “Ever since then I haven’t stopped making baskets.”

The baskets are made with sweet grass and ash splints through a process called ash pounding. Two particular weave styles are called popcorn and the more intricate porcupine. Popcorn baskets have little rings on the outside that look similar to kernels of corn. Porcupine baskets have pointy edges running along the sides.

During the end of the event, the Burnurwurbskek Singers gave performance drumming, singing and dancing. Crowd members honored their roots by dancing around the drumming circle.

Songs represented certain themes, such as the “Micmac Honor Song,” which was written in more recent times to bring young members of the tribe back to the drumming circle and away from the dangers of drinking and drugs, according to one of the drummers.

Wabanaki, or “People of the Dawn,” exited as the sun went down.

Maddy Glover contributed to this report.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009, 1:04 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.