The First Blade of Sweetgrass

10 1/4 x 9 1/4 x 7/16 in

A young Wabanaki girl is excited to accompany her grandmother for the first time to harvest sweetgrass for basket making. Musquon must overcome her impatience while learning to distinguish sweetgrass from other salt marsh grasses, but slowly the spirit and peace of her surroundings speak to her, and she gathers sweetgrass as her ancestors have done for centuries, leaving the first blade she sees to grow for future generations.

Suzanne Greenlaw is a Maliseet and a citizen of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. Her work revolves around restoring Wabanaki stewardship practices across various land tenure systems throughout Maine.

Gabriel Frey is Passamaquoddy and a citizen of Passamaquoddy at Sipayik. He is an awarded-winning basket maker, artist, and cultural knowledge keeper. His mother and Suzanne and Gabriel’s two daughters, Musqon and Alamossit, helped inspire The First Blade of Sweetgrass.