Lovely Vintage Wabanaki Footed Sewing Basket with Curlicues hand-decorated a Deerflied

a Deerflied

These are from a group of wonderful old handmade animals I found this past weekend in New Hampshire

and textures on this make it feel as much like sculpture as a functional object

I realize it would be good

Lovely Vintage Wabanaki Footed Sewing Basket with Curlicues hand-decorated a DeerfliedEither Penobscot or Micmac (Northeastern Native American, Wabanaki encompasses both), this beautifully executed, excellent condition braided sweetgrass and dyed ash splint sewing basket I believe likely dates to the mid 20th century or just a bit earlier. This is the first I've found with three charming little braided feet, and then a lovely, wave like curlicue design on top. The interior shows the original intense color, now mellowed to a softer red