Baskets have been 'a really good friend to our people,' says Indigenous workshop teacher
Kisuhs Perley collected ash wood along the Tobique River for a basket-making workshop
Making baskets from wood has a deep history in Neqotkuk First Nation, according to Kisuhs Perley.
Indigenous peoples have been weaving wood into baskets for centuries, but after colonization, Perley said families from Neqotkuk, also known as Tobique, used to make baskets and sell them in Maine and to Canadian farmers during potato harvests.
"This is what helped our communities out in a time when farmers in Canada weren't allowed to hire Native people," he said. "These baskets have really been a friend to our people, in good times and bad times, and I think that's why we're such friends with the baskets."
Perley recently taught a two-day basket-making workshop through the Under One Sky Friendship Centre in Fredericton. Scroll through the photos and watch the video to learn more.
Image | Ann's Eye - April 13 2025
Caption: Kisuhs Perley of Neqotkuk First Nation wants to leave behind the knowledge of basket making to others. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Open Image in New Tab
Image | Ann's Eye - April 13 2025
Caption: The strips of wood used to weave a basket are split from larger pieces of wood. During the basket-making process, the strips are wet down with water. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Open Image in New Tab
Image | Ann's Eye - April 13
Caption: 'I wish him well on his journey as a workshop teacher,' Ann Paul said of Perley. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Open Image in New Tab
Image | Ann's Eye - April 13 2025
Caption: Each part of Ann Paul's basket has a special meaning. The vertical strips of wood, called standards, represent family members. The strips weaved in horizontally represent community members, and the circular shape of the basket is the community as a whole. What you put in the basket are the tools you learn in life, she added, and the handle is what you carry in life. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Open Image in New Tab
Ann's Eye
Photographer Ann Paul brings an Indigenous lens to stories from First Nations communities across New Brunswick. Click here or on the image below to see more of her work.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Canadian military makes aid drop into Gaza
CBC News had exclusive access to a Canadian Armed Forces plane that dropped about 10,000 kilograms of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the first time Canada joined the airdrop operations. Several countries airdropped food on Monday, but aid organizations agree they are more symbolic than effective.


CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Military plane drops food aid into Gaza
A freelance videographer working for CBC News was on the ground in central Gaza Monday at the same time as a Canadian military plane was dropping aid from above. Mohamed El Saife ran with his camera alongside Palestinians trying to reach the falling parachutes, witnessing the chaos as people rushed to grab whatever they could get.


Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Thousands to flee First Nation in northern Manitoba over wildfire threat
WINNIPEG – Thousands have fled from a First Nation in northern Manitoba as wildfires burn close to the community. The Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation near Nelson House issued a full evacuation order Sunday in response to the blazes as flames threatened to cut off road access. It's been upgraded to a mandatory evacuation and the community's residents — approximately 4,000 people — were to register at the Norman Linklater Memorial Multiplex before boarding planes for Winnipeg. Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Chief Angela Levasseur says crews are doing everything they can to suppress the flames and says concerns have been shared with provincial and federal leaders. Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, a group representing some northern First Nations, says more than 1,300 people have registered with the Canadian Red Cross in Winnipeg, and more were expected to arrive Monday. In July, some residents of the First Nation were ordered to evacuate following a state of emergency over heavy wildfire smoke. Wildfire smoke from across the west has filled many Canadian skies from Vancouver Island to Charlottetown with grey and gritty haze. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2025.