Mar 25, 2008

The past is presentBy Aimee DolloffBangorNews.com

For Jason and Donna Brown, tradition always has been a part of their lives. Members of the Penobscot Indian Nation, they grew up together, learning traditional crafts from tribal elders on Indian Island. But what this young married couple may not have foreseen is how crucial a role they themselves would play in keeping the jewelry- and basket-making customs of their tribe alive.

Today the third floor of their Victorian-style home in Bangor is a studio space where they create traditional and trendy jewelry, along with baskets made of ash and sweet grass.

“It’s a hobby, but we also make money through our hobby and share our culture with the world,” Donna said.

The Browns, who met at Donna’s fifth birthday party — “We’ve known each other all our lives,” says Donna, 33 — have been married for more than three years. Each fondly recalled spending time as children with former Penobscot Nation Chief Barry Dana.

“He was a great inspiration and an excellent role model for us,” Donna said.

Dana taught a cultural class where children learned about a variety of traditional activities, such as singing and drumming, as well as how to do beadwork on a loom, track animals, and scrape and pound ash to make baskets.

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