Preserving an Art: Klikitat Basketry

Abstract

In 1982, The Heritage of l2ickitat Basketry: A History andArt Preserved was published. This book had been in my mind for a long time. Up until then, had made only gallon-size baskets or smaller. But right after the book was published, was challenged by a person, who said she was going to make a five-gallon basket. I can't do that, thought. But my sister told me could. My aunt had a half-finished, four-gallon basket made by a basketmaker on the coast. She asked me to finish it. It took me a month to think about how to do it. The man who started the basket worked from right to left-backwards. finally figured out how to cut off the end of his coil and start back from left to right, the way work, and finished this basket. Some people had told me they would be interested in buying a large basket. So challenged myself to make a basket start, or bottom, using the largest number of coils possible. said to myself, I'll go twenty times around. When had finished eighteen, the bottom started to bend, so knew had to start building up the sides. basket, which was covered with horses, held almost ten gallons when it was finished. Sometimes see something new that want to try. When saw the edge finish with alternating black and white stitches, thought, That looks nice, and knew if worked on it could figure it out. People say to me, Could you do this? My first thought is, No. But then look at it and figure it out. have never been told by anyone how to do these new things. think, I know there should be some way to do this, and figure it out. At first, made Klikitat cedar root baskets using only the traditional mountain design with horses or people in between. Soon after my book came out, saw a basket that was made by Susan Williams, my grandmother on my dad's side. The weaving was fine, the design perfect, like a puzzle all put together. tried to think about how to do a design that well; then tried to do it. Next took an idea from the coastal baskets, putting an edging of animals around the top of the basket, with a black line above and below. At first didn't