Summary as Introduced
Fred Tomah, an Elder of the federally recognized Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, who lives on the Houlton Maliseet Indian Reservation and whose work as a master brown ash basket maker is nationally acclaimed. Mr. Tomah is recognized for his unique quadrifoil twill weave baskets, which are highly prized and sought and are featured and displayed in both the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor and at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. These Maliseet baskets include the Katahdin Smoke Signal basket, the Katahdin Arctic Butterfly basket and Mr. Tomah's stout pack basket, a favorite among some of Maine's ice fishermen, hunters and trappers to this day. Mr. Tomah has spent his lifetime carrying on his Maliseet culture and traditions, handed down to him by his father and Maliseet ancestors. His work as a master basket maker is an expression of an ongoing Maliseet way of thinking and behaving that he has learned, lived and shared over the past 60 years. We send our appreciation to Mr. Tomah for his important contributions to his heritage and to the people of Maine, and we send him our best wishes.