Talent in the Region

Artists from the Northeast Woodlands are inspired by nature and tradition.

Known for its beautiful natural lands, a diverse array of Native American and First Nations peoples, and rich histories surrounding the arts, the Northeast Woodlands is one of the great regions in North American where distinct types of art are being produced at very high levels.

The region includes much of New England and the northeast portion of the United States, but also includes areas in Canada, as well as the area around the Great Lakes.

Ramona Morrow (Ojibwe), Bandolier Bag, Ojibwe-style beaded bandolier bag made from black velveteen, size-11 seed beads accented with vintage crow beads and antique bells, 12 x 46”

David Lone Bear (Mi’kmaq) looking for lightning-struck white cedar near his home in Maine.

Ramona Morrow (Ojibwe), various work

One artist who has emerged from the region is Ojibwe artist Ramona Morrow, a member of Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and a Yankton Sioux descendant. Morrow, who has taught at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York, also teaches at Lac Courte Oreilles University and in countless workshops. She uses a wide variety of mediums in her artwork but is primarily known for her dolls known as The Cattail Collection, as well as beadwork and moccasins. Morrow will be one of the featured Anishinaabe Women’s Artist for the 2023 season at the Madeline Island Museum at La Pointe, Wisconsin. The exhibit will feature female artists from across the region.

David Lone Bear (Mi’kmaq), Sweetgrass Flute, white cedar, sweetgrass, 24 x 1¼”

Her works include bandolier and possibles bags made from black velveteen, fine seed beads, antique bells, dyed muslin, buckskin and other materials, as well as finely made dolls, including some on horseback. For her Seventh-Generation Possibles Bag, Morrow says, “The beaded bag depicts our ancestors in the northern lights, and cradled in mother’s arm are those twinklings in our eye.” The bag is made from brain-tanned buckskin, seed beads, horsehair tassels and brass sequins. “Creating is where I find my peace,” says Morrow.

Another artist that is creating unique work in the Northeast Woodlands is Mi’kmaq artist David Lone Bear, who makes traditional Mi’kmaq northern block flutes. “I enjoy making my flutes because it is part of my memories of my grandfather,” Lone Bear says. “And it keeps our heritage somewhat alive.”

The artist walks through the woods of Northern Maine to find the right cedar tree. It will be pointed out to him, but sometimes this takes several days to find. The flutes are then carved by hand, often with hand-made tools. “Each is different from the last,” Lone Bear says. “It all begins with finding the right tree.”

Ramona Morrow (Ojibwe), The Cattail Collection: Doll #212, Horse #50, dolls are dyed muslin, and then dressed, beaded and adorned with accessories; horses are made of buckskin; all dolls are stuffed with “cattail fluff,” 13½ x 14½ x 5”

David Lone Bear (Mi’kmaq), Sweetgrass Flute with Turquoise Bead, white cedar, sweetgrass, turquoise, 24 x 1¼”

One of his newest pieces is a Sweetgrass Flute that has a braid of sweetgrass inside the flute “so that when the flute is played there is the fragrance of the sweetgrass activated by the player’s breath,” the artist says. He continues: “I have been making and playing Native American flutes since I was 8 years old. My grandfather taught me how to carve flutes at the age of 9. As a child, I would sit with him for hours to watch and ask questions about the art of flute carving. I harvest all the wood and make many of the tools myself. I do not use any power machinery. I use mostly lightning-struck white cedar. Once the cedar tree is struck by lightning, the wood crystallizes. It is this result that gives the finished flute a unique sound and tone.”