Boundless K-12 Curriculum: KINSHIP

Why is acknowledging both shared aspects of culture and individual cultural ancestry important? 

A blue dyed and undyed hemp fiber woven basket with a cord closure without elastic. The bottom of the basket shows the cycles of the moon.
Brittney Peauwe Wunnepog Walley (Nipmuc, American, born 1991)

Different Footprints (continued), 2023
Hemp fiber cordage, commercial dye
Courtesy of the artist

Weaving enables Brittney Walley to honor her ancestors while uplifting the present and future generations of her tribe. Through her family connections as a Nipmuc person, she works to examine what it means to be Nipmuc today.

“This basket is the second in a series of works entitled Different Footprints. The series showcases a combination of patterns and designs, symbolizing the beauty and power of different Peoples when they walk together. This basket features parallel lines and an eight-pointed star, which are characteristic of traditional Nipmuc pieces. Its moon phases contemplate the passage of time, pay homage to the various moons and ceremonies observed by Eastern Woodland Peoples, and tie into a water theme. The top pattern is a partial reproduction of a Mohegan bag from the seventeenth century.”

– Brittney Peauwe Wunnepog Walley

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Look at the designs below and consider how combining imagery from various Indigenous cultures tells a story.

Nipmuc Maker
Miniature Basket (1850-1880) Plain-woven ash and oak
Connecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
Nipmuc Maker
Covered Basket (about 1840)
Plain woven ash (?)
Gift of Albert C. Bates Connecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
A detail of the bag displaying a blue four directions start shape.
Mohegan Maker
Twined Hemp Bag (about 1650) from ARTIFACTS Journal (American Indian Archeological Institute) Fall 1982 Issue
Learn More about BRITTNEY WALLEY
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.