Boundless K-12 Curriculum: KINSHIP

In what ways do objects connect us to the past?

A basket with a photograph at the bottom of the basket of a woman selling baskets.
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 

Although Theresa Secord did not learn the art of basket weaving from her great-grandmother Philomene Saulis Nelson, she weaves using the same techniques and tools as her ancestor. It has become Theresa Secord’s mission to mentor and teach the next generation about the history and process of basket weaving.

Even though many contemporary baskets are made using new ideas and designs, they are often based on the traditional knowledge passed down through families.

A photograph of an older woman holding a basket at a table with other baskets. A sign behind her reads: Indian Baskets Sold Here.
Detail of interior picture of Penobscot Sewing Basket, featuring Secord’s great-grandmother, Philomene Saulis Nelson.
a question mark icon

Think about the image of Theresa’s great-grandmother inside the basket.

What does it tell you about the influence she had on her great-granddaughter?

Learn More about THERESA SECORD
overlapping concentric circles made by ripples in water.

Boundless K-12 Curriculum

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