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Sweetgrass Sewing Basket
Made by Philomene
Nelson, Penobscot
Gift of Watie Akins, Mrs. Nelson’s grandson,
1995
11.5 cm high x 29 cm diameter
Right now, the Abbe Museum has 950
ash baskets in its permanent collections. Of that
large and important collection, however, we can attribute
294 to known basketmakers. Before about 1980, it was
almost unheard of that a basketmaker would sign their
work. They made baskets for a living and sold them
for almost nothing. Philomene Nelson made baskets
all her life. She supported a large family from her
work. But she never considered herself an "artist."
In one typical anecdote, she commented on why she
made baskets:
We were like demonstrators.
I got three dollars a day. Philomene probably got
more because she was older and more experienced. She
was a terrific basketmaker and a woman who spoke her
mind. One time a tourist asked her, 'So this is your
hobby,' and she said, 'Hobby, hell! This is my bread
and butter!
Madeline Tomer Shay, Penobscot, in Molly Spotted
Elk, 1992
Philomene Nelson
Philomene Saulis Nelson (1886
- 1979) made baskets her whole life. Born on the Tobique
Maliseet Reserve in New Brunswick, Canada, Philomene
married Horace Nelson, Penobscot, in 1903. Together
they raised eight children. Watie's memories of his
grandmother are intertwined with her work as a basketmaker.
He recalls her "old Indian" smell - the scents of
tobacco and sweetgrass. He remembers her sitting in
her big kitchen, smoking her pipe and talking Indian
with the other women gathered there to make baskets.
Each woman worked at a different task. Some started
the bases of baskets, while others cut down splints
to the necessary size or braided long strands of sweetgrass.
Philomene was also an important member of the community.
She worked on the census and could recite family genealogies
back several generations. As the seventh daughter
of a seventh daughter, Philomene had healing powers.
She knew about medicines and used them to heal the
sick. She was a devoted Catholic and made very good
pies. |
