A green-and-yellow basket or a beribboned design — these are among myriad styles you can find by local Native American tribes, says appraiser John Bottero
For thousands of years, Maine’s indigenous peoples have been weaving ash splints into lightweight, durable, beautiful baskets. The initial utilitarian forms became increasingly ornate in the late 19th century, when members of the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot tribes set up tents in coastal towns and sold their wares to summer tourists.