Deborah Brooks, Passamaquoddy Basket Weaver. 2025
Born and raised on the Indian Township Reservation in Maine and now a resident of Chandler, AZ, Deborah Brooks carries forward the Passamaquoddy tradition of basket weaving taught to her by her mother, grandmother, and aunt. For over 30 years, she has prepared black ash and sweetgrass from ancestral lands to create baskets that embody cultural memory and resilience. Deborah now mentors her grandson, apprentice Josh Brooks, ensuring this living tradition continues into future generations.
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Deborah Brooks grew up surrounded by the forests and waterways that have sustained the Passamaquoddy people for centuries. Her upbringing was deeply rooted in Wabanaki traditions, where language, stories, and community practices shaped her identity. “Our reservation fosters a strong sense of community, where cultural practices like basket weaving and storytelling thrive and need to be preserved,” she reflects.
Her artform is traditional Passamaquoddy basket weaving, a practice that has been passed down through generations. For centuries, Passamaquoddy artists have made baskets from black ash and sweetgrass, materials harvested from ancestral lands. These baskets once served as utility items for gathering, storage, and trade, but they also carried cultural meaning—embodying resilience, ingenuity, and a deep connection to the environment. Each basket tells a story, weaving together tradition, identity, and stewardship of the land.
Deborah learned to weave as a child, watching her mother, grandmother, and aunt work by hand. Her mother, Mary Mitchell Gabriel, was a master weaver who received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1994. Using the same molds, equipment, and tools passed down through generations, Deborah absorbed the tradition through observation and practice. Over the past three decades, she has continued this work professionally, preparing materials and weaving baskets that honor her heritage.
The process begins with acquiring black ash from tribal harvesters. The tree is cut, pounded to separate growth rings, and split into splints. Deborah soaks, scrapes, sizes, and cuts the wood into narrow weavers and standards. Sweetgrass, harvested along the coast, is dried and braided for its aromatic and aesthetic qualities, then woven into rims or patterns. Preparing the materials is labor-intensive, often taking days, but the weaving itself—done with wooden molds—is meditative, connecting her to her ancestors and the natural world.
Her work extends beyond the baskets themselves. She shares cultural history, techniques, and new designs with her community through workshops, social media, and her Sweetgrass Basketry website. She sells baskets at local art markets and online, always striving to educate buyers about Passamaquoddy traditions. Sadly, few Passamaquoddy weavers remain active today, making her role as a teacher and mentor even more vital.
Deborah’s cultural work is centered in traditional knowledge and the responsibility to pass it forward. She mentors her children and serves as a role model for young tribal members, encouraging them to stay involved in preservation efforts. “By involving my children in the process, I keep the tradition alive within my family,” she says. Through these efforts, she honors her ancestors and ensures the survival of basket weaving for future generations.
Today, Deborah continues this lineage by mentoring her grandson, apprentice Josh Brooks, a mixed-media artist. Together, they carry forward the Passamaquoddy tradition of basket weaving, ensuring that its stories, techniques, and cultural meaning remain a living part of their community.