Collecting the Ash Splint Baskets of the Woodland People

Although Native Americans viewed baskets as a necessity rather than an art for hundreds of years, the arrival of European settlers changed the face of basket-making from a utilitarian essential to an artistic commodity within a short period of time.

Basket weaving is one of the oldest known forms of Native American art (although they certainly weren't aware of that when the craft began hundreds of years ago). Baskets were made for centuries as a utilitarian form of food storage, serving, and transport. Native American people throughout modern-day North America practiced basket-making. These baskets, whether antique or contemporary, have become highly sought after and collectible.

Passamaquoddy Ash Splint Lidded Storage Basket, ca. 1840. Getty Images

The technique of weaving baskets from splints of the black ash tree (also called brown ash) is an art form that originated with the Woodland Native American tribes of the northeastern United States. Early on, these baskets were produced to be practical and temporary in nature, sturdy yet lightweight for travel. However, ash splint baskets evolved from tribal use to become a desirable trade commodity, allowing the Woodland tribes to become a vital part of the trade marketplace developing with incoming trappers and traders. Once the influx of European settlers began to deplete Native American resources and push them from their ancestral lands, the art of splint basket weaving became a method of survival. 

Onondaga Ash Splint Lidded Basket with handle, ca. 1840. Getty Images

A Brief History of the Woodland People

The category "Woodland People" historically encompasses over one hundred tribes of the northeastern United States and several of the Atlantic provinces in Canada. Archaeologists speculate that many of these groups, like the Iroquois and Algonquin-speaking cultures, originated from the same area, breaking up into smaller bands and tribes as they migrated from their point of origin over thousands of years. This theory would explain the similarities in language, culture, spiritual beliefs, and especially technology. Tools such as birchbark canoes and the lightweight, sturdy ash splint baskets used for gathering, storing, and transporting food and other goods are seen in nearly every Woodland culture, like the Mi’kmaq, Ojibwa, Penobscot, Kickapoo, and more. Before contact, Native Americans adapted their technologies to the world around them. With the arrival of the settlers to North America, those adaptation skills allowed the Woodlands people to navigate an ever-changing landscape. The weaving of ash splint “work” baskets for sale became a cottage industry. This industry enabled Native American families to earn cash when jobs were scarce and discrimination plentiful.

Map featuring the distribution of the Eastern Woodlands tribes.

Basket Weaving as a Commodity

In the late 1800s, the Victorian era brought about a demand for smaller, more ornate baskets, known as “fancy baskets.” These baskets often incorporated sweetgrass and newly developed decorative weave designs such as the porcupine twist, the curly, and the ribbon weave. While older baskets utilized natural dyes, the late 1800s brought aniline dyes and vivid colors into the weaving techniques of the Woodland people. Previously, baskets were woven to serve a utilitarian purpose. But the Woodland weavers began to create baskets in new forms made explicitly with European tastes in mind. Items such as wall pockets, jewelry baskets, purses, and sewing baskets reflected the adaptability and creativity of the Woodland basket makers.

Penobscot Fancy Porcupine Basket - Maine eBay
Passamaquoddy Ash Splint and Sweetgrass basket purse with dyed ash splint ribbon accent. eBay

How to Identify an Ash Splint Basket

Ash splint baskets feature a “checkboard” style weave. This “over and under” style of weaving is the defining trait of these baskets. Wood splints made from the under-bark of the black ash tree give the baskets the checkboard look. Baskets made before the late 1800s tend to be quite plain. Those made during and after the Victorian era can be colorful, but even the plainer baskets tend to incorporate one or more decorative weaves, as well as sweetgrass accents and handles.

Late 18th century New England Native American ash splint basket - note the over and under pattern. eBay

Unfortunately, because of their organic composition, these baskets do not fare as well in the archaeological record as other cultural artifacts such as pottery or stone tools, so collectors do not generally come across baskets produced prior to the mid-1800s. Those baskets were generally not signed or marked by the artist, and they should be evaluated by an expert to ensure authenticity unless a reliable provenance is established. There are some great print resources that can assist in identification, such as Indian Basketry of the Northeastern Woodlands by Sara and William Turnbaugh.

Weaving the Generations Together

Native American basket-making is recognized as an important cultural art form with deep roots in tradition. Many contemporary Woodland basket makers, such as Jeremy and Ganessa Frey (Passamaquoddy), are bringing the art of ash splint basket weaving to new generations, passing down the history and the knowledge of this traditional art. Their baskets are prized by modern basket collectors. Depending on the artist, you can generally expect to pay $100 - $300 for minis and several hundred to thousands of dollars for larger baskets.

Jeremy Frey (Passamaquoddy) Large Turquoise Urchin Basket—This point basket has turquoise points over grey and is surrounded by natural-colored ash. Sweetgrass surrounds the rim of the cover, which is adorned with Frey's signature finial. This basket is now in the permanent collection of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. Home & Away Gallery
Miniature point basket by Ganessa Frey (Passamaquoddy) featuring light blue, dark blue, black splints, and naturally colored brown ash. The basket is 5″ diameter at its widest and 5″ high. Home & Away Gallery

Many small galleries, such as the Home & Away Gallery in Kennebunkport, Maine (who graciously gave me permission to use artist photos from their website), work with Native American artisans like the Freys, Pam outdusis Cunningham, and many more to display and sell their work. Their website features artist biographies in addition to a sizeable inventory of Wabankaki Nation baskets and other Native American art pieces from across the North American continent. Galleries such as these help to ensure that artists are promoted to the public and that the market remains fair.

Don and Mary Sanipass (Mi’kmaq) traditional ash splint baskets. LiveAuctioneers

Tribal affiliation is difficult to ascertain when purchasing an older basket. However, when purchasing a newer piece, there are resources available, including artist guilds and galleries, which can direct buyers to Native American artists. Weavers did not mark older, utilitarian baskets. Contemporary basket artists may sign or mark their work. Many artists, like Mary Sanipass (Mi’kmaq d. 2020), whose basket work tended toward the time-honored practical style, and Pam outdusis Cunningham (Penobscot), who makes baskets that are often whimsical or steeped in tradition, are generally recognized by their style.

Pam outdusis Cunningham’s Honor Basket is rife with symbols honoring Wabanaki tradition. The four directions come together to form “the circle of unity”-square bottom, round top with long prayer braid bound around the rim. The eastern star on the outside honors the Wabanaki – People of the Dawn: Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot. The turtle on the inside honors Mother Earth. The long prayer braid inside blesses the basket and all things. A sage, tobacco, cedar, and sweet grass bundle honors the basket owner's desires, dreams, and hopes. The dragonfly honors those who have passed; the heart is for love and peace. Home & Away Gallery

Contemporary ash splint baskets tend to be much smaller than their predecessors and ornamental rather than utilitarian. While traditional baskets are still sought, elaborate shapes, minis, curls, twists, and weaves are popular with many modern basket collectors.

This modern basket, with its multicolored kernels made of ash splint curls, splint cornsilks, and braided sweetgrass accents, was made by Pam outdusis Cunningham (Penobscot). It is commonly called a "Hopi" corn basket. eBay

Today, basket weaving links contemporary artists to the past. By teaching the art of weaving to the next generation, Native American basket weavers are ensuring that basket-making continues to be a vital economic enterprise, an important traditional art form, and a source of cultural pride for the tribes of the Northeastern Woodland people. 

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Kele Johnson is the Editor of Kovels Antique Trader Magazine and the Digital Content Editor of Active Interest Media's Collectibles Group. She admits to a fondness for mid-century ceramics, uranium glass, novelty barware, and Paleoindian projectile points. Kele has a degree in archaeology and has been researching, writing, and editing in the collectibles field for many years. Reach her at kelejohnson@aimmedia.com.