The NH-VT Abenaki Basketmakers Alliance

On January 17th of 2011, Ash Basketmakers Bill Gould and Jesse Larocque formed the NH-VT Abenaki Basketmakers Alliance. The goal and purpose: To Preserve and Promote the traditional skill of Abenaki Basketmaking. As CO-Founders both Gould and Larocque will oversee and manage the task of this endeavor jointly.

Bill Gould lives in Warner, NH and Jesse Larocque lives in St. Johnsbury, VT. Both men have other primary trades. The common thread they share is that they are both Ash Log Pounders. Ash Pounding is the foundation for all traditional Abenaki ash basket making in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Gould: "You can't make an Abenaki Ash Basket without pounding the Ash strips off the log first".

Larocque: "No Ash strips .. No Ash Baskets .. simple as that".

Gould: "There are not many Ash Pounders left in either New Hampshire or Vermont. We need to change that for future generations and we need to act right now. We can't wait around for someone else to take the bull by the horns".

Larocque: "Tell me about it Bill. Well .. lets get this show on the road and make this thing happen then".

5 minutes later, it was a done deal.  ( Now, don't you wish State Government moved that fast? )

Both Gould and Larocque assert the fact that the Alliance WILL NOT be a non-profit organization. It will be an organization for the profit of Alliance Members.

A Website is in the planing phases for promoting the various skills that Alliance Members have. This gives Museums, Educational Institutes, businesses and the General Public a great resource to use when searching for information about Abenaki Ash Baskets in New Hampshire and Vermont.

"So where is all this profit for the Alliance members?"

The Simple Plan: People visit the website, look at the Alliance Member List. People may directly contact the Alliance Member of their choice. ( If that Member wants their information made publicly available, otherwise the Alliance will act as an intermediary for a first time contact between interested parties )

Any and all business dealings will be directly between people visiting the website and their selected Alliance Member.

Museums, Educational Institutes, businesses and the General Public often would like to contact Abenaki Basket Makers for demonstration purposes and speaking engagements. Alliance Members will have an opportunity to be hired directly and paid directly by those organizations in their local areas. Zero Moneys will handled by The NH-VT Abenaki Basketmakers Alliance for those types of actions.

Both Gould and Larocque are confident that The NH-VT Abenaki Basketmakers Alliance will be asked to showcase their baskets as a unified group in different high profile art galleries | museums around the United States.

"Our young people should have an opportunity to learn a valued traditional skill, if they choose to."   

The NH-VT Abenaki Basketmakers Alliance will accept and review applications for membership. Applicants will be accepted based on their current skill set levels.

Interested Abenaki Basketmakers living in New Hampshire or Vermont may download the Application for Membership  to The NH-VT Abenaki Basketmakers Alliance by Right Clicking on the link below and choosing "Save File". You may print it, staple it, fill it out and send it to :

Bill Gould
3210 State Rte. 114
Bradford, NH, 03221

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