The matriarch of four generations of Passamaquoddy basketweavers, Molly Neptune Parker began weaving baskets at a young age, using the scraps of ash wood that fell to the floor as her mother worked. Today, Parker leads efforts to share this tradition with young people, encouraging the continuance of this art form for generations to come.
Parker was born in Indian Township, Maine, into a family of basketmakers; her mother, grandmother and aunts all made baskets. While the men would harvest and pound the ash used for basketmaking, the women in her family would strip the ash and split it into the correct thickness: fine ash for fancy baskets and thicker ash for work baskets. In the Passamaquoddy tradition, families would have signature designs that were passed down. Parker continues to make baskets with ash flowers fashioned on the top, a design her mother and grandmother used.
Parker is known for her fancy baskets featuring intricate weaving techniques, such as her signature creation, the acorn-shaped basket. Basketmaking has allowed her to buy a home and help pay for the education of her grandchildren, who are also carrying on this craft. A true tradition bearer, Parker continues to preserve basketmaking in her tribal community, including mentoring her grandson George Neptune.
"Basketmaking for me is about innovation and creativity within the context of a traditional art form," says Parker. "The functionality, the materials and the shapes have been a legacy for each generation. I honor that legacy and believe I have a responsibility to continue it, basing it always on our traditions and knowledge of literally thousands of years. Basketmaking is an art that I believe I was born to do, much as my ancestors have done for thousands of years."
Parker has served as president of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance and as a master teacher in the Maine Arts Commission's traditional arts apprenticeship program. She has demonstrated her craft at the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival and at local festivals and schools. She is a recipient of the Maine Arts Commission Fellowship Award for Traditional Arts, the New England Foundation for the Arts' Native Arts Award and the First People's Fund's Community Spirit Award.
Watch
Molly Neptune Parker and her grandson George Neptune interviewed by Nicholas R. Spitzer, 2012 National Heritage Fellowship Concert, Washington, D.C., courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Molly Neptune Parker interviewed by Nicholas R. Spitzer, 2012 National Heritage Fellowship Concert, Washington, D.C., courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Molly Neptune Parker and her grandson George Neptune interviewed by Nicholas R. Spitzer, 2012 National Heritage Fellowship Concert, Washington, D.C., courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Molly Neptune Parker interviewed by Nicholas R. Spitzer, 2012 National Heritage Fellowship Concert, Washington, D.C., courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Molly Neptune Parker and her grandson George Neptune interviewed by Nicholas R. Spitzer, 2012 National Heritage Fellowship Concert, Washington, D.C., courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Listen
Molly Neptune Parker talks about her background and her history with basketmaking, Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker answers the question 'How have things changed on the reservation?' Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker answers the question 'How did you get started making baskets?' Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker talks about making scale baskets, Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker answers the question 'What are the materials that you use?' Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker answers the question "What kinds of baskets do you make at the moment?' Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker answers the question 'How many generations of basketmakers are there in your family?' Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker answers the question 'What kind of day job did you have?' Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker answers the question 'What is the biggest challenge facing your tribe?' Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker discusses the worst thing about basketmaking, Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker answers the question 'What does tradition mean to you?' Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker answers the question 'How do you teach basketmaking?' Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
Molly Neptune Parker answers the question 'What do you hope will happen as a result of your receiving the National Heritage Award?' Washington, D.C., 2012, interview by Alan Govenar
