Tonia Loran-Galban

Tonia Loran-Galban (Mohawk, Bear Clan)  grew up on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation in western New York until the age of eleven when her family moved to the Rochester area. Tonia specializes in making Akwesasne utilitarian Black Ash baskets. She is known for her historical traditional baskets, which she makes based on extensive research and interviews with members of the Haudenosaunee community. She is also in demand for her storytelling skills. She is an accomplished beadworker and sews period clothing, such as 17th -18th century Haudenosaunee men's and women's clothing.

Tonia learned to make ash splint baskets by watching her grandmother make fancy decorative baskets at her home in Akwesasne. Three decades ago, Tonia was inspired to make utilitarian baskets after watching Richard David, an Akwesasne traditional artist, make a corn-washing basket from "the initial pounding to the finished product." It was the first time she had seen the pounding process that goes into making a basket since it is a task normally undertaken by men. "Usually, the men do the hard work. And so he [Richard David] showed us how to pound the Black Ash log. The splitting of the Black Ash, cleaning, and gauge cutting were all familiar to my grandmother."

Tonia's basket-making is tied to her strong feelings about maintaining and passing on Akwesasne Mohawk traditions. Everything that she does is "for the younger people of my community." She works to preserve traditional ways. "All of that is for the children, our own children, and any other Native children that we meet. I especially want to show our people that you may live in Onkwehonwehkah - our way of life; wherever you live, you carry that with you.