Peter Neptune | Perry, ME 

Artist Statement: 

Peter Neptune is a Passamaquoddy basket maker and cultural bearer. He is part of a long lineage of fancy and work basket makers that goes back to his great grandparents who have lived and worked at Sipayik for generations. His work baskets are made to be used – from pack baskets to “shoppers” these sturdy ash containers are the work horses of the basket tradition.

Weaving and gathering ash strengthen traditional bonds. Before any weaving begins, Peter has to find and prepare a Brown Ash tree to pound and split and eventually weave. These skills are also passed down from generation to generation and Peter is among an important company of traditional ecological knowledge bearers. He is also very knowledgeable about harvesting sweet grass that grows wild and is essential in Wabanaki ceremonies and for decorating baskets.

Basketmaking is a fundamental way of teaching the art and values of the Passamaquoddy. For decades, Peter has been a dedicated and patient teacher of traditional skills among his family and fellow tribal members. Like his sisters, he has taught nieces, daughters and grandchildren, one- on- one, the painstaking process of preparing and making ash into beautiful baskets.

Making baskets sustains and renews Peter’s ties to his family and tribe. Like the growth rings of the ash tree, the weaving tradition connects him to past and future weavers, joining them as a people and a community. For Peter Neptune, his baskets are a tangible expression of the whole of Passamaquoddy culture.