Large Sea Urchin Basket w/point curls! Pam Outdusis Cunningham: Penobscot

Description

This is one of my favorite basket shapes - the sea urchin basket.   To this larger urchin basket Pam outdusis Cunningham, Penobscot basketmaker,  has added deep purple point curls (sometimes called porcupine curls or "twists") at the top and bottom of the basket sides and a row of natural point curls near the center of the basket's lid.  She uses alternating natural light ash splints alternating with dyed black ask splints for the foundation of this basket and alternating thin natural light ash weaver splints alternating with tightly braided medium thick tidal sweetgrass for the weavers.
An urchin basket is such a perfect "maine" shape for Maine Indian basketmakers to form and they have been doing so for over 125 years (see photo of Penobscot sea urchin baskets in slideshow above - Photo about 100 years old - faces and names not shared at request of relative of basketmakers pictured - urchin baskets have been made by Pam's ancestors for a very long time)
Sea urchins are found all up and down the Maine coast (See photo of sea urchin shell with the basket in slideshow above and you will see how this basket form got it's name")
Made of brown ash splints, traditional material of Maine and Eastern Canadian Indian basketmakers, with plain tidal sweetgrass binding the rims of the basket and the lid and braided tidal
sweetgrass used for some of the weavers on both lid and basket
.
THis larger sea urchin basket is 7" in diameter at middle of the basket (largest diameter), 6.5" diameter top opening and
6.5" diameter on bottom.  It is 3.75" high and the points on the lid add another .25" so 4" overall height.
There are more of Pam's beloved basket styles in this ebay store  - you might find strawberries, pinecones, pumpkins, mini-corn, small corn, blueberries, button baskets, pincushion baskets, prayer baskets....
After photos of this urchin basket there are 4 more photos - not of this basket. First of these is of 2 Penobscot basketmakers with several urchin baskets in a large basket at photo's bottom.  Photo is about 110 years old, basketmaker's faces aren't shown at request of a Penobscot friend who is a descendant of one of the women.  I know identities of both women and current family members of both.  --  Next photo is of an actual sea urchin shell.  Second to last photo is of Pam oudusis Cunningham dancing the Shawl Dance at the
2019 Penobscot Nation Community Day Festival.
Last photo is a pic of Pam's great-grandmother, ssipsis, selling her baskets about 1920.  To make some of her basket forms Pam uses some of her ssipsis's basket making tools - gauges, crooked knives and wooden molds.    Be sure to view some of Pam's other baskets in this ebay store - you might find pumpkins, corn, strawberry baskets or prayer baskets.