Sweetgrass X's & Slant Curls, med 3.5" RND BASKET -Kenny Keezer; Passamaquoddy

Description

This medium (3.5" diameter at top) round ash and tidal sweetgrass basket is by basketmaker Kenny Keezer, Passamaquoddy.  The basket's sides of natural ash have 2 rows of braided tidal sweetgrass X's and a row of slant curls at the top and at the bottom of the basket.  The lid has a decorative bow handle, a signature style of the Keezer family.  The center of the lid has smaller tidal sweetgrass X's and then 2 rows of natural ash splint weavers. Lid's top edge is bordered with several thin braids of tidal sweetgrass weaving the outer edge.
The lid has a decorative bow handle, a signature style of the Keezer family.
Kenny Keezer is the youngest son of much honored Clara Neptune Keezer (1930-2016), Passamaquoddy basket maker who was a winner of a NEA 2002 Heritage Fellowship award for her basketry work.  Kenny learned basketry from his mother and incorporates many of her signature styles into his work.
The basket is 3.5" in diameter at top (Kenny makes 2", 2.25", 2.5"and 3" diameter small round baskets)  and it is 3" tall - (including 1/4" bow handle).  It is a basket that is one Clara herself could have made.  Clara made many baskets that had tidal sweetgrass X's.  This one is - very much her style! Clara almost always placed a sweetgrass braid between the inner rims of her baskets.  Kenny does this as well.  You can see this in the photo of the basket open with the lid resting upright on the top.
Among many honors, Clara Neptune Keezer was given the NEA Heritage Fellowship award. -  According to the NEA website, this award is "the country's highest honor in the folk and traditional art" -... and includes all folk arts and crafts including but not limited to - music, dance, performance art and traditional crafts and arts.
This basket is made of brown ash splints, the traditional material of Maine and Eastern Canadian Wabanaki basketmakers and also incorporates plain tidal sweetgrass  to wrap the rim of the basket lid and braided tidal sweetgrass to make the X's and the outer weavers for the top of the lid.    Tidal sweet grass grows on tidal marshes within view of the Keezer home in the most Northeastern corner of this country. The land and people of the dawn- The Passamaquoddy reserve near Eastport Maine where the dawn hits this country first. The grass here has been picked, dried, combed and braided by Kenny.
Last photo is of Kenny (in orange shirt), his brother Rocky and mother, Clara..... photo taken on one of my visits to their home.  This one was taken about 5 years prior to Clara's passing.