Boundless K-12 Curriculum: CONTINUANCE

What can we learn by keeping traditional practices alive?

A circular, finely woven basket and lid composed of dyed red, green, yellow, and brown sweetgrass. Adhered to the inside of the basket is a black and white photo of the artists grandmother behind a table of baskets. The wall behind her has a sign that reads, "INDIAN BASKETS SOLD HERE."
Theresa Secord (Penobscot-American, born 1958)

Penobscot Sewing Basket, 2023
Ash and braided sweetgrass, cedar bark, velvet photograph
Museum purchase with William K. Allison (Class of 1920) Memorial Fund
2023.03

Theresa Secord weaves traditional Penobscot baskets from sweetgrass and ash using tools and wooden forms handed down from her great-grandmother.

detail of the basket top
a shelf with wooden molds and baskets.
Wooden Basket Molds and Forms
“Photo of my basket forms and molds; some have been handed down to me in my family from the late 1800s through my maternal great-grandmother.”
–Theresa Secord
three wooden hand tools with carved handles.
Gauges
“Wooden hand tools were handed down to me by my family. The shiny white patina area shows generations of use. Sharpened blades are made of watch spring or clock spring steel.”
–Theresa Secord
a decorative wavy line
a question mark icon

Look at some of the baskets made recently by Theresa Secord.

What makes them similar or different from the baskets in the photo with her great-grandmother?

a small red basket with a green top that looks like a strawberry
a vase shaped basket with a fluted top and colorful strands woven into its base.
a basket bottom with a red spiral
A black and white photograph of an older woman holding a basket at a table full of baskets. Behind her a sign reads: Indian Baskets Sold Here.
Detail image of interior photograph from
Penobscot Sewing Basket, 2023
This image feature’s the artist’s great-grandmother
Learn More aBout Theresa Secord
overlapping concentric circles made by ripples in water.

Boundless K-12 Curriculum

* YouTube links to audiovisual materials shared by other creators are included in the curriculum. For more information, including for captioning and transcripts of the suggested audiovisual materials, please contact the audio/video content creators.