A new exhibit at the Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University explores the past, present and future tradition of Abenaki basket-making across the White Mountains region and into Canada.
“Of Baskets and Borers” weaves the stories of early 20th century Abenaki basket-makers with contemporary art, and examines the environmental changes that are threatening the very existence of the craft.
Meghan Doherty, director of the museum, curated the exhibit. She said inspiration struck from a small source.
“It all started with a postcard,” Doherty said.
That postcard is part of the Museum of the White Mountains’ collection. It depicts an early 20th century Abenaki family outside a camp, selling baskets. The caption on the postcard is “White Mountains.” That small text detail piqued Doherty’s interest.
“It seemed like one little thing led to this whole exhibition,” Doherty said.
It turns out, the photo was taken at Strawberry Hill in Bethlehem, New Hampshire. From there, Doherty turned to the history of an Abenaki shop in Intervale for inspiration. It was owned by Joseph Laurent, who came down from Odanak, an Abenaki First Nation in Canada. Doherty said the shop was open from 1884 to 1984.
Laurent’s shop was an example of what many Abenaki families would do: venture south from Odanak to sell their handmade wares to tourists in New Hampshire.
The process to make a basket is lengthy. Ash trees provide the best fibers and are important to the history of Abenaki basket making. The trees are processed by hand. Harvesters pound the ash trunks until the layers begin to pull apart and turn into strips thin enough for weaving.
The baskets on display at the museum range in all sizes and colors, from ones dyed red and shaped like strawberries that could fit in the palm of your hand to rainbow pieces that could envelop your whole head.
Some are originals from Laurent’s old shop in Intervale, on loan from the Conway Historical Society. Others are new, made by veteran Abenaki basket-maker and Odanak citizen Annette Nolett, who just turned 85.
“It makes me happy that I have… contributed to the work that the old people did years ago,” Nolett said. “I like that, I mean, I'm proud of that.”
Nolett has been integral to the exhibit. She learned the art of basket weaving from her mother. Some of her baskets look just like those from centuries ago, used for tasks like collecting food, and others were created for more modern purposes, like holding mail by an entryway.
That was a key part of the exhibit for Meghan Doherty: weaving together the past, present and future of Indigenous basketry. That includes threats to the craft.
The title of the exhibit, “Of Baskets and Borers,” references the invasive insect the Emerald Ash Borer. The bug weasels its way into the flesh of the ash tree and leaves tracks that spoil the tree for basket-making.
But Doherty says there’s a three-pronged approach to foiling the bugs that seems promising: injecting insecticide, bio controls — in this case wasps that prey on the bugs — and breeding more resilient trees.
“All these three things together are sort of leading the community of basket makers, at least that I've worked with, to have a sense that there is some hope that it's not a completely lost cause,” Doherty said. “That these three things will help the species continue to exist.”
The future of Abenaki basketry also depends on passing down knowledge of the craft. Nolett has taught many workshops. While, she says, not everyone finds basket-making to be their passion, she knows the tradition will be safe with her family.
“With my children and my grandkids, it won't disappear,” Nolett said.
“Of Baskets and Borers” is on display at the Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University through Sept. 14.
