VISUALIZING THE ADIRONDACKS AND ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY
Sheila Kanieson Ransom, Waves Basket
Sabella Cromie, Spring 2023
ABOUT THE ARTWORK
Artist Sheila Kanieson Ransom is a well-known basketmaker native to Akwesasne in northern New York. She has represented her Mohawk heritage through her artwork for over twenty years. She learned the craft from her Godmother Mae Bigtree and Henry Arquette, a renowned basketmaker. She has presented her baskets at the New York State Fair; the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC; and the Adirondack Experience in Blue Mountain Lake. Ransom also created a special basket which was presented to Pope Benedict XVI as a gift from the Mohawk nation to recognize the canonization of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first female Mohawk saint.
Basketmaking is essential to both preserving and celebrating Mohawk culture. Ransom teaches children (including her grandchildren) in order to keep the tradition alive and preserve it for generations to come. This particular basket was made using sweetgrass and black ash trees found locally. These materials are used for their abundance and are easily manipulated to bend and form, all while being reliable and sturdy. In this particular basket, the waters surrounding Akwesasne have inspired its design. Bright blue and purple add a calming and aesthetic design, symbolizing waves of water. The colors are intertwined between the rest of the material to show the connectedness to other parts of the basket. She emphasizes that as the material crosses paths it has no beginning or end when woven tightly. Her baskets symbolize the resilience and strength of Mohawk culture.
– Sabella Cromie ’26
Sheila Kanieson Ransom, Waves Basket, 2021
Woven dyed ash and sweetgrass
Richard F. Brush Art Gallery
SLU 2021.4
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