Unusual Needle Holder Made By Member of Wabanaki Tribes, Maine

This is a needle case and was woven by a member of the Wabanaki tribes in and around Maine and Canada. It is about three inches in diameter and about one and a half inches in height (including the thimble holder woven in) and is made with splints from the Ash Tree and Sweet Grass gathered by the artist. This is a very different Needle Holder Basket, as it has a recess made just for a Thimble woven into it. I have never seen a Needle Holder like this one and it was in a lot of NA basketry items that I bought and received today. I have been collecting Native American basketry for a long time now and when I saw this I knew I had to have it. It is not perfect, it does have a couple of places that show a bit of loss of Sweet Grass, but this does not take away from the artistry. There is no loss of splints and is still very stable. The little round hoops made to push inside each other to allow the needle case to be closed are still there, but I will not close the case. That is how the hoops become damaged and can fall off, and also the bit of weave that holds the basket together on the other side can be damaged too if the case is opened and closed alot. This basket has held together for a long time now, as this was most likely made around 1910-1925, and I will be placing it in with my other miniatures to keep it safe and out of direct sunlight.