Black Ash Basketry

Marge Bekins (Grand Haven, Michigan)
According to Ojibway tradition, black ash basketry involves a long and difficult process that was given in a vision from the Creator to an Anishnabe man named Black Elk. Black Elk was nearing the end of his life and wanted to provide for his family and teach them patience. The Creator told Black Elk to have the people burn his body when he died and bury the ashes in a sacred place. Out of his ashes grew the black ash tree. Today, basket makers carefully select a black ash tree in the swamps of the northern woods. They strip off the bark with a draw knife. Then they cut a gash into the wood the width of their basket strips and pound the log until the growth rings peel away in bands.

Marge Marie Bekins is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Tribe. After a severe car accident left her unable to continue working in the automobile industry, she turned to her artistic heritage, making black ash baskets, beadwork, and jewelry. In 1996 she apprenticed with Charles Shedawin, a master basketmaker who was awarded a Michigan Traditional Arts Apprenticeship. Today her work is in the collection of the Nokomis American Indian Learning Center and museums across the state of Michigan.