The oldest of eight siblings, Mary Alice Nelson was born on Nov. 17, 1903, on Indian Island, the heart of the Penobscot nation about 15 miles northeast of Bangor, Maine.
The Nelsons sustained themselves mostly by selling baskets, with her mother, Philomene, weaving and her father, Horace, collecting the raw materials.
Horace would go on to serve as the tribal chief and the nonvoting Penobscot representative in the State Legislature.
As a girl, Molly showed an interest in tribal traditions, asking adults to tell her legends in exchange for doing chores.
She left the tour and remained behind there to audit anthropology and literature classes for three semesters at the University of Pennsylvania.
Persons:
Mary Alice Nelson, Penobscots, Molly, Horace, Neeburban
Organizations:
Legislature, dimes, University of Pennsylvania
Locations:
Penobscot, Bangor , Maine, Philadelphia, Oklahoma