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New Brunswick·Ann's Eye

From tree to basket: Students carry on Indigenous knowledge

Students at Woodstock High School wove ash wood into baskets.

Woodstock students first learned to spot ash trees. Now they know how to turn them into baskets

CBC News ·
A man with grey hair and beard leans over a table, showing a teenager with long dark hair how to weave a basket.
In this class at Woodstock High School, instructor Brock Polchies passes on Indigenous knowledge to students. (Ann Paul/CBC)

This is part of a series called Ann's Eye, featuring the work of Ann Paul, a Wolastoqey content creator. You can see more Ann's Eye pieces by clicking here.

Ann Paul remembers standing in a classroom as a child, singing and dancing for the other kids. 

She was showing them something from her own culture, since there was nothing about it in their textbooks. 

"To you it's a sweet memory," she said. "To me, it's a sad memory."

WATCH | Teens learn how to weave baskets from wood:

Ann’s Eye: See how a tree becomes a basket

11 months ago
Duration 2:17
Students at Woodstock High School got a lesson in basket-making from Brock Polchies of Woodstock First Nation.

Paul said there should have been something like the basket-weaving class at Woodstock High School in place a long time ago, but she was happy to see it taking place now. 

Scroll through the photos and watch the video above to see what the class was like.

Four teenagers sit at a table, looking at a man standing in front of them holding a basket.
Before the basket-making lesson, students went into the woods with Elder Carole Polchies to learn how to identify ash trees, which grow by the water and have pliable wood for weaving. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A girl with long dark hair bends over a table, weaving together strands of wood into a basket.
The wood has to be wetted down to make it pliable for weaving. Students must continue wetting the wood until the entire basket is woven, and then it can dry. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A teenager wearing a red sweater sits at a table weaving strands of wood into a basket.
Ann Paul said some students picked up weaving quickly and were able to help their classmates. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A man with grey hair wearing a grey hoodie and jeans bends on one knee next to a teen boy wearing a blue sweater. The man holds up a half-finished basket.
Ann Paul says it's good if you get even one student in a full classroom who falls in love with basket-making and passes the skill onto others. 'You could see the pride when they were making it,' she said of the Woodstock students. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A classroom full of students shows them sitting at tables weaving strands of wood into baskets.
The Wolastoqey 'weaving in history' project has taught students the basket-making process from the very beginning to the end. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A teenager with long dark hair bends over a table, weaving strands of wood into a basket.
Basket-makers must use a mallet to pound the ash wood and separate the rings inside. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A girl with long dark hair bends over a table, weaving together strands of wood into a basket.
The wood has to be wetted down to make it pliable for weaving. Students must continue wetting the wood until the entire basket is woven, and then it can dry. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A woman with long dark hair holding a ribbon of wood stands next to a man with his hand on a v-shaped wooden object.
Brock Polchies uses this triangular contraption to split the ash. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Four teenagers sit in a classroom weaving baskets.
The baskets can be used for lots of different things, Ann Paul said. Some baskets are for daily use, but others can be special — Ann has some she keeps her tobacco in for daily offerings to the Creator. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Several teenagers and a man stand together in a classroom for a group photo. In front of them is a table covered in baskets.
Basket-making is how people used to make money, Ann Paul said. 'If you’re ever without money but you know how to make something, you’ll never be without money.' (Ann Paul/CBC)
A table laden with baskets in various sizes and shades of brown.
The students will eventually be able to take their creations home. (Ann Paul/CBC)

Ann's Eye

Photographer Ann Paul brings an Indigenous lens to stories from First Nations communities across New Brunswick. Click here or on the image below to see more of her work. 

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