Name/Title
BasketEntry/Object ID
1990.33.3a-bDescription
Square sweetgrass and splint basket. The splines and some weavers have been dyed red. Halfway up the sides of the basket are rows splint weavers creating a 3/4-inch stripe. The lid also has a 3/4"-inch stripe of red splint weavers across the center. The handle is braided sweetgrass that is anchored on both ends with loops of sweetgrass attaching back at the anchor. The edges are bound bundles of sweetgrass attached with a narrow red splint. The contents of basket include ribbon sewn into a pocket/sachet, embroidery floss, a lace medallion, a ring box, tissue paper, plastic, crocheted lace, ribbon and more.Context
Made by an unrecorded Abenaki artisan in Addison, VermontMade/Created
Place
Town
AddisonCounty
Addison CountyState/Province
VermontCountry
United States of AmericaContinent
North AmericaLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
BasketNomenclature Class
ContainersNomenclature Category
Category 07: Distribution & Transportation ObjectsDimensions
Dimension Description
OverallHeight
2-1/2 inWidth
5-1/2 inLength
5-1/2 inMaterial
Sweetgrass, Ash SplintInterpretative Labels
Label
Abenaki Basket, Early 20th Century
Addison County
Sweetgrass
Museum Purchase, #1990.33.3
Abenakis lived in communities throughout Vermont with village centers at Swanton and Highgate. They continued to maintain cultural identity and tradition in the face of new history publications that falsely erased them from the historical record and programs such as the Eugenics Survey that sought to remove them physically from the general population.
Abenaki people long participated in Vermont’s economy through the sale of goods and services. Some of the most iconic and recognizable goods included baskets, snowshoes, and canoes. The Sweetser family of Morrisville, with their unique baskets of a blended Abenaki and European design, went from local to national renown when wealthy tourists and collectors sought their products. The Obomsawin family, headed by patriarch Simon, made a name for themselves selling handcrafts to tourists visiting the exclusive Cedar Beach resort community on Lake Champlain.
Abenaki throughout the region sold traditional goods and served as guides for fishermen and hunters in the Green and White Mountains, and Quebec. To externally express an “Indian” identity, some Abenaki adopted dress based on that of Western Indians as this imagery was most recognizable to non-Abenaki residents and visitors.