Molly Neptune Parker

Molly Neptune Parker (February 6, 1939 – June 12, 2020) was an American basket weaver. She became well known for her artistry, with her works selling for thousands of dollars. As a co-founder and president of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, she tutored young people in the traditional craft and also educated four generations of her own family. She was also the first woman lieutenant governor of Indian Township, one of the two governing bodies of the Passamaquoddy tribe.

Biography Molly Newell was born on February 6, 1939, in Indian Township, Maine.

Parker was from a family of basket makers and started weaving as a child, using scraps from the ash wood that her mother discarded in the course of her weaving. While the men were responsible for pounding the wood, the women stripped the bark and split the wood into both thin and thick strips for use in different types of baskets. Some of Parker's later flower designs were the same ones used by her mother and grandmother. Her craft allowed her financial stability and helped her buy a house and educate her children.

Parker's first husband, Moses Neptune, was a truck and school-bus driver as well as a basket maker. Their children were taught to speak English to save them from the trauma in school of having English as a second language. When her children were young she would trade her baskets in return for their dental care. For a few years she would spend the day making baskets, then work on the night shift at a wool factory, and come home to serve her children their breakfast. When Parker was older and her creations more well-known, she used basket weaving to support her family, buy a home, and contribute to paying for her grandchildren's education. Her work is included in the Abbe Museum.

As a co-founder and president

Other activities Parker was the first woman to serve as lieutenant governor of Indian Township, one of the two governing bodies of the Passamaquoddy tribe. She served on the Passamaquoddy council at the time that the U.S. government returned the tribe's land to their control in 1980. Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Bowdoin College in 2015 Maine Arts Commission's Fellowship Award for Traditional Arts New England Foundation for the Arts - Native Arts Award First People's Funds Community Spirit Award Demonstrated Basketmaking at 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Distinguished Achievement Award from University of Maine at Machias in 2013