REPLICA of OLD MicMac scene Quill/coiled sweetgrass basket, by P St. John-Mohawk

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REPLICA of OLD MicMac scene Quill/coiled sweetgrass basket, by P St. John-Mohawk:
$225.00

This scenefeatures a \"mirror\" image of a MicMac man and woman with a yellow bird on a vine separating the 2 images. The scene is done with dyed porcupine quills on birchbark. This new work is a replica of a very old quilled MicMac piece that a relative recently brought to Paul St John to repair. The 2 men are each smoking a pipe and the 2 women each hold a small basket or purse. They are not exactly alike. One of the men has a brown stick in one hand. The other appears to have a smaller red knife. The figures wear traditional MicMac garments C/mid 1600\'s to early 1800\'s. The men wear long coats with a sash around the waist, the sash has a small bag at center side hanging below it. The hats are traditional peaked hats-men\'s hats areslightly more rounded with a longer piece hanging down at the backand a ribbon hanging from the top of the peak. There are tall plants or trees, one in front and one behind thehuman figures.
The figures are separated by a yellow bird on a vine with 2 leaves. The bird design is bordered by 2 tidal sweetgrass braids. The entire birchbark medallion has a lovely outer braided border of tidal sweetgrass. -This 9\" square large basket has birch bark at center of lid and used as the bottom - then coiled tidal sweetgrass. It is 3\" high. The birch bark medallion at center top is 6.5\" square. This is signed by Paul - on the inside of the lid he has affixed a small oval of birchbark with his initials \"PstJ\". To makethis shape, the corners of the lid are rounded and extend out and the bottom of the basket has a \"cat head\" look on 2 sids (That is the corners touch the surface it sets on but the area between corners is rounded upward and do not touch the surface - the \"cat head\" bottom also occurs on very old square bottom Maine Indian brown ash baskets - again to make the square shape)
This is a fantastic piece, 4 MicMacs in very early traditional dress done of porcupine quill on birchbark - a replica of early work that is quite striking. Similar human figures were done inquillwork c/1700-early 1800\'s by MicMac and in adifferent medium by Huron, and other Iroquois and Wabanaki tribes here in the Northeast. I have seen human figuresdone on birchbark withmoose hair embroidery (I have one such Huron piece available elsewhere that can be found with an internet search - Huron Moosehair embroidery needle case w/2 men, dog, pipe. - I believe this may be the only piece ofmoose hair embroidery work currently for sale anywhere on the internet)
Paul St. John now lives in Maine. He is an enrolled Mohawk tribal member. He grew up on the Mohawk lands in New York, his father\'s homeland. His mother is Passamaquoddy/MicMac/Maliseet and Paul has learned traditional crafts and ways of all four tribes from his relatives. - When I saw his work I knew immediately I needed to offer his great baskets. While quill work and coiled sweetgrass baskets are historically Maine Indian traditional crafts, currently no one here in Maine but Paul St. John is actively practicing this craft. - Passamaquoddy basket makers, Jeremy Frey and Otter, both have used some quill work on their baskets... but quill work on coiled sweetgrass baskets are Paul St John\'s specialty. Paul is shown in slideshow above with 2 of his works - one of them is the first cardinal basket. He not only does sweetgrass coil baskets and porcupine quill work on birch bark -- but also amazing dolls, Iroquois beadwork, great moccasins, knife sheaths, medicine bags and so much more! He is truly a man of many (many many) talents! Watch this store for more of his pieces. Can\'t wait to see what he is going to create next.