Theresa Secord and Caleb Hoffman

Theresa Secord, a great granddaughter of Philomene Saulis Nelson, learned to make baskets from Madeline Shay, with tools handed down from Philomene. She began to weave baskets as an apprentice in 1988 through a program developed by the state folklorist, Kathleen Mundell. Secord and Mundell realized that the tradition was being lost as most weavers were in their 70s, 80s and 90s and few younger community members were taking up the tradition. To help keep the basketmaking alive, she helped found and led the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance for over two decades to revive the art form. Over the years, Theresa’s work has evolved from making basket forms in her traditional family style to innovating new forms that speak to ecological and climate change issues, like her periwinkle and sturgeon inspired baskets. Theresa’s son Caleb was surrounded by basketmaking from a young age. Today, he is apprenticing with Jeremy Frey, learning about brown ash selection and how to prepare splints for weaving. This summer he won the Best of Basketry classification at the prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market.