(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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Decorated with purple pansies and trimmed with blue, brown and black, this raffia basket was made by a female artisan in Deerfield, Massachusetts. As part of the Arts and Crafts Movement, residents of Deerfield worked hard to recapture and preserve traditional arts of yesteryear. Basketry was practiced by the Native Americans that first settled the Deerfield region, as well as all subsequent settlers. The Pocumtuck Basket Makers used a non-indigenous material (raffia) and distinctly modern patterns (pansies) and wove them together as part of a traditional form (handled tray).

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