Jeremy Frey wove Aura from the hand-dyed sapwood of a black ash tree—the source of life in Wabanaki creation stories—and topped it with a ring handle made of sweetgrass. The black ash tree is at risk of extinction due to the invasive emerald ash borer beetle, brought to this continent through trade. In Frey’s words: “The tree is a part of culture, where we come from. History is told through the trees. The ash borer is globalism taking another bite of the Passamaquoddy people.” For Frey, basketry operates as a sacred language that he continues to protect and actively pass on to Native youth. He takes great care to respectfully harvest the materials, creating innovatively shaped works such as Aura that reflect a contemporary version of centuries-old cultural practices in good relationship with nature.