Honor Basket

The design for this basket came to me in a dream. 1998 an old friend asked me if I had a basket for sale. I held up a "Curly bowl" basket and handed it to him. I noticed it had turned into a magicians top hat.
I then drove around Indian Island, Maine, USA, visiting people and making things. While I was braiding sweetgrass at an elders home, I saw 4 dollar bills. I took them and left to find my friend. 
I met up with him and he was holding the honor basket and offering things from it to the people walking by. Little bundles of smudge, sweetgrass, cedar, sage, and tobacco. 
He saw me and waved me over. That was when I saw the turtle on the inside of the cover. 
"Nice Basket!" I said as I handed him the money. 
"Yes, it is! Thank you for making it for me." As he smiled and put the money in it saying, "Good: one for each direction. Wooliwoni."
 
This friend, a respected tribal citizen, had passed away years ago.
 
The original basket is in the permanent collection at the Robert Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA.
 
Here are the meanings of the contents:
 
 The basket constructed with a square bottom to a round top. The four directions coming together to form a circle. The circle of Unity, we are all connected.
 The directions are symbolized in plant material as follows:
North as cedar, symbolizing the past and honor. East as sweet grass symbolizing regeneration and health. The sweetgrass is also in honor of the Wabanaki ~ people of the Dawn. These people are the tribes and nations of the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot.
The turtle on the inside cover is woven in honor of Mother Earth also my tribal clan.
The dragonfly has been represented to honor all those who have passed on before us celebrating the power of shapeshifting.
A sweet grass braid is held within to bless this basket and all things it touches.
A seashell, medicine bundle of sage, sweetgrass, and tobacco are to be used by you, to honor your own dreams desires and hopes.
I am honored to be able to create such a basket and so I chose to call it the "Honor Basket".
Wooliwoni ~ Thank you
Pam outdusis Cunningham