In this podcast, a segment of the radio show Moccasin Tracks on North Country Community Radio, WZNC LP Bethlehem, (www.nococommunityradio.org) we talk with Abenaki Beadworker Rhonda Besaw. She tells us about a shop in Littleton, NH where she first saw beadwork and thought she would like to try!! This is the first time Rhonda has used her computer to reach the radio station and we are so honored to have her share on the radio with us.
HEAR MY INTERVIEW ON NH PUBLIC RADIO APRIL 2021:
Many artists have had a difficult time during the pandemic, while they've also brought joy to other people who are struggling. For NHPR's series, The Show Goes On, we're talking with artists across New Hampshire about how they're making it through the pandemic.
NHPR's Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with Rhonda Besaw, a beadworker from Whitefield, about her work and what's she's learned this past year.
Very honored that my beadwork was chosen to be on the cover of this new book by James (Sa'Ke'J) Youngblood Henderson! This beadwork design is from an old Mi'kmaq style peaked cap that I beaded. "Through the ELIKEWAKE COMPACT, the Mi'kmaq, Wolastoqey, and Passamaquoddy nations ratified the Wabanaki Compact, 1725, with the British sovereign, generating an innovative treaty commonwealth that shaped constitutional law in North America". James (Sa'ke"J) Youngblood Henderson is a research fellow at the Indigenous Law Centre, College of Law, Saskatoon. He is a member of the Chickasaw Nation who has married into the Mk'maw nation, and is a legal advisor of the Mi'kmaw Grand Council". Published by Indigenous Law Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK.
For centuries, the people of the Wabanaki Nations of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada used signs, symbols and designs to communicate with one another. As Native Peoples became victims of European expansion, the Wabanaki were separated by war, the search for work and intermarriage, as well as by hiding their identities to avoid persecution. In this diaspora, their visual language helped them keep their teachings and culture alive. Their designs have evolved over time and taken on different meanings, and they are now used on objects that are considered art. While their beauty is undeniable, these pieces cannot be fully appreciated without understanding their context. Tribal member Jeanne Morningstar Kent sheds light on this language, from the work of ancient Wabanaki to today’s artists—like David Moses Bridges, Donna Sanipass and Jennifer Neptune—once again using their medium to connect with their fellow Wabanaki.
I'm honored to be included in this lovely and timely book........you can order from me directly.
"A Proud Heritage.......Rhonda Besaw Revives a Beadwork Tradition" by Eileen Alexander Fall 2011 edition of WRENZINE click here to read article
Bead Society of Great Britain
You can read about my beadwork by clicking on the image to the left. This article was written by Richard Green.
Richard is a specialist in Native American art, a contributing writer to "Whispering Wind" magazine, author of "A Warrior I Have Been" and my dear friend and mentor.
