Molly Neptune Parker
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Molly Neptune Parker (February 6, 1939June 12, 2020) was an American
basket weaver 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 ...
. She became well known for her artistry, with her works selling for thousands of dollars. As a co-founder and president of the
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
Indian Basketmakers Alliance, she tutored young people in the traditional craft and also educated four generations of her own family. She was also the first woman lieutenant governor of Indian Township, one of the two governing bodies of the
Passamaquoddy The Passamaquoddy ( Maliseet-Passamaquoddy: ''Peskotomuhkati'') are a Native American/First Nations people who live in northeastern North America. Their traditional homeland, Peskotomuhkatik'','' straddles the Canadian province of New Brunswick ...
tribe.


Biography

Molly Newell was born on February 6, 1939, in
Indian Township, Maine Passamaquoddy Indian Township Reservation ( Maliseet-Passamaquoddy: ''Motahkomikuk'') is one of two Indian reservations of the federally recognized Passamaquoddy tribe in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 760 at the 202 ...
. She was the daughter of Irene Newell and Lewey Dana, who had six other children. Her first language was
Passamaquoddy The Passamaquoddy ( Maliseet-Passamaquoddy: ''Peskotomuhkati'') are a Native American/First Nations people who live in northeastern North America. Their traditional homeland, Peskotomuhkatik'','' straddles the Canadian province of New Brunswick ...
and at the school on the reservation that was run by nuns, she was punished for not using English. The nuns baptized her "Jeanette Katherine". Parker was from a family of basket makers and started weaving as a child, using scraps from the
ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
wood that her mother discarded in the course of her weaving. While the men were responsible for pounding the wood, the women stripped the bark and split the wood into both thin and thick strips for use in different types of baskets. Some of Parker's later flower designs were the same ones used by her mother and grandmother. Her craft allowed her financial stability and helped her buy a house and educate her children. Parker's first husband, Moses Neptune, was a truck and school-bus driver as well as a basket maker. Their children were taught to speak English to save them from the trauma in school of having English as a second language. When her children were young she would trade her baskets in return for their dental care. For a few years she would spend the day making baskets, then work on the night shift at a wool factory, and come home to serve her children their breakfast. At one point, she and her husband were making up to one hundred scale baskets a week, used in the fishing industry to collect fish scales for the production of nail polish. When Parker was older and her creations more well-known, she used basket weaving to support her family, buy a home, and contribute to paying for her grandchildren's education.


Artistry

Parker employed techniques enshrined in her tribe's basket-weaving tradition and also developed intricate techniques of her own. Her specialty was a fancy basket with embellishments such as flowers on top. Her "signature creation" was a basket shaped like an
acorn The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'' and '' Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne ...
; she also made baskets in other shapes, such as strawberries. It would take her a total of five days to make a special basket from start to finish. As her artistry became more well known, her works began selling for thousands of dollars. People would call her by name when they saw her at airports. Her work is included in the
Abbe Museum The Abbe Museum is a museum with two locations in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Mount Desert Island. The museum is dedicated to exploring the history and culture of Maine's Native people, the Wabanaki. It has one location at 26 Mount Desert Street in th ...
. As a co-founder and president of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, Parker had the opportunity to tutor apprentices. She revitalized Passamaquoddy basketry by educating young people and teaching four generations of her family. One of her apprentices and grandchildren,
Geo Soctomah Neptune Geo Soctomah Neptune is a Passamaquoddy Two-Spirit, master basket maker, activist, storyteller, model, and educator from Indian Township, Maine. Neptune uses they/them pronouns. Basketry After graduating from Gould Academy and earning a theat ...
, continues the tradition of basket weaving "with her in mind".


Other activities

Parker was the first woman to serve as lieutenant governor of Indian Township, one of the two governing bodies of the Passamaquoddy tribe. She served on the Passamaquoddy council at the time that the U.S. government returned the tribe's land to their control in 1980. In the 1990s she operated a restaurant called Molly's Luncheonette, which offered "classic American diner food along with Passamaquoddy specialties like hulled corn soup, stewed muskrat and fry bread".


Personal life

Parker gave birth to six children, adopted three more, and was a foster mother to many others. After her divorce from her first husband, Moshe Neptune, she married Terrance C. Parker, a police officer. Parker died on June 12, 2020, age 81.


Awards and honors

* 2012 National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship * Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from
Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...
in 2015 * Maine Arts Commission's Fellowship Award for Traditional Arts *
New England Foundation for the Arts The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of six not-for-profit regional arts organizations funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and by private foundations, corporations and ind ...
 -  Native Arts Award * First People's Funds Community Spirit Award * Demonstrated Basketmaking at 2006
Smithsonian Folklife Festival The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, launched in 1967, is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage presented annually in the summer in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is held on the National Mall for two weeks around the Fo ...
* Distinguished Achievement Award from
University of Maine at Machias The University of Maine at Machias (UMaine Machias or UMM) is a public college in Machias, Maine. It is part of the University of Maine System. The institution was founded in 1909 as a normal school for educating teachers, and offers studies in ...
in 2013


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Molly Neptune 1939 births 2020 deaths Artists from Maine Passamaquoddy people Native American basket weavers American weavers Native American women artists 20th-century American artists 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American artists 21st-century American women artists People from Washington County, Maine Women basketweavers Basket weavers National Heritage Fellowship winners 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native American artists 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native American artists Native American people from Maine