Maine Memory Network

Big Tree section, Islesboro, ca. 1936

Contributed by: Islesboro Historical Society Date: circa 1936 Location: Islesboro Media: Ash wood

Fancy basket by Hilary Browne, 2017

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 2017 Location: Old Town Media: Black ash, sweetgrass

Holding up the Sky: Wabanaki people, culture, history, and art

Learn about Native diplomacy and obligation by exploring 13,000 years of Wabanaki residence in Maine through 17th century treaties, historic items, and contemporary artworks—from ash baskets to high fashion. Wabanaki voices contextualize present-day relevance and repercussions of 400 years of shared histories between Wabanakis and settlers to their region.

Gluskap of the Wabanaki

Creation and other cultural tales are important to framing a culture's beliefs and values -- and passing those on. The Wabanaki -- Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot -- Indians of Maine and Nova Scotia tell stories of a cultural hero/creator, a giant who lived among them and who promised to return.

Historic Hallowell - Wood Ashes or Gold Dust?

"Both pot-ash and pearl-ash were worth more than any other product a farmer could produce, and large quantities were shipped from Hallowell until the…"

Presque Isle: The Star City - Harvesting Potatoes - Page 5 of 13

"Baskets were made locally, usually by Native Americans. The strips of wood used to make these baskets came from ash trees."

Wikpiyik: The Basket Tree
by Darren Ranco

Countering the Emerald Ash Borer with Wabanaki Ecological Knowledge

Why environmental advocacy is critical for making baskets
by Jennifer Sapiel Neptune

My advocacy work for the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance

Wabanaki Studies: Out of Ash

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 Content Area: Science & Engineering, Social Studies
This lesson plan will give middle and high school students a broad overview of the ash tree population in North America, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) threatening it, and the importance of the ash tree to the Wabanaki people in Maine. Students will look at Wabanaki oral histories as well as the geological/glacial beginnings of the region we now know as Maine for a general understanding of how the ash tree came to be a significant part of Wabanaki cultural history and environmental history in Maine. Students will compare national measures to combat the EAB to the Wabanaki-led Ash Task Force’s approaches in Maine, will discuss the benefits and challenges of biological control of invasive species, the concept of climigration, the concepts of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and how research scientists arrive at best practices for aiding the environment.

Wabanaki Studies: Stewarding Natural Resources

Grade Level: 3-5 Content Area: Science & Engineering, Social Studies
This lesson plan will introduce elementary-grade students to the concepts and importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous Knowledge (IK), taught and understood through oral history to generations of Wabanaki people. Students will engage in discussions about how humans can be stewards of the local ecosystem, and how non-Native Maine citizens can listen to, learn from, and amplify the voices of Wabanaki neighbors to assist in the future of a sustainable environment. Students will learn about Wabanaki artists, teachers, and leaders from the past and present to help contextualize the concepts and ideas in this lesson, and learn about how Wabanaki youth are carrying tradition forward into the future.