Mary Leaf (1925–2004) was an

Akwesasne The Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne ( ; french: Nation Mohawk à Akwesasne; moh, Ahkwesáhsne) is a Mohawk Nation (''Kanienʼkehá:ka'') territory that straddles the intersection of international (United States and Canada) borders and provincial (Ont ...

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans *Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people *Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been t ...

basket maker, who lived on the border between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Leaf specialized in

basket making Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

, having learned customary basketry techniques from her mother. Her work can be found in the collections of the

Newark Museum The Newark Museum of Art (formerly known as the Newark Museum), in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States, is the state's largest museum. It holds major collections of American art, decorative arts, contemporary art, and arts of Asia, Af ...

and the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

Biography

Leaf was born in 1925 on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation that lies on the border between Canada and the United States. Her mother, Josephine Thompson, taught her brown ash basketry weaving and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

stick lacing techniques at a young age. Leaf created baskets that were often primarily aesthetic, including small colourful "fancy" baskets in the shape of strawberries. Other women known for this curl and twist technique of basket making are Florence Benedict, Mary Adams, and Katie Sickles. Although utilitarian basket-making became less common after the 1930s—as the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

ended and Mohawk people began finding more non-agricultural jobs—Leaf became known as a Mohawk basket maker and influenced the resurgence of basket-making in the Northeastern Woodlands in the late 20th century.

Art career

Leaf's baskets can be found in collections at the

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, the North American Indian Traveling College of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, the

Iroquois Indian Museum The Iroquois Museum is an educational institution dedicated to fostering understanding of Iroquois culture using Iroquois art as a window to that culture. The Museum is a venue for promoting Iroquois art and artists, and a meeting place for all pe ...

in Howes Cave, NY, and the

. In 2015, the

Thunder Bay Art Gallery The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is Northern Ontario's largest art gallery specializing in the work of contemporary Indigenous artists. It is located on the campus of Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is ...

featured her baskets in an exhibition, ''Woven from Wood''.

Honours

In 1983, Leaf was honoured at a special banquet for Akwesasne basket makers hosted in

Hogansburg, New York Hogansburg ( moh, Tekahswen’karó:ros) is a hamlet, in the Town of Bombay, in Franklin County, New York, United States. It lies on NY 37 near the Canadian-US border at the confluence of the St. Regis River with the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Hoga ...

Death

Leaf died in 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leaf, Mary 1925 births 2004 deaths Basket weavers Native American basket weavers First Nations basket weavers Women basketweavers Canadian Mohawk people American Mohawk people 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native Americans 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American women artists Akwesasne