Twining Cedar (12 of 15): Designs (Patterns)

Object Details

Views

2,758

Video Title

Twining Cedar (12 of 15): Designs (Patterns)

Description

Red cedar bark twined basketry is a distinctive Tsimshian art form. With the passing on of elder master artists and the demands of contemporary lifestyles, it became at risk. A handful of weavers today are working to master and revitalize twined cedarbark basketry, reconnecting with a proud heritage. In 2016, the Arctic Studies Center collaborated with The Haayk Foundation of Metlakatla to document the materials and techniques of cedarbark basketry. The project included a harvesting and processing workshop and a weaving workshop in Metlakatla, and a residency at the Arctic Studies Center in Anchorage where artists studied baskets from museum and private collections, practiced and refined weaving techniques, and taught museum visitors and school children about basketry. Teaching was led by Haida master weaver Delores Churchill, who learned from master Tsimshian weaver Flora Mather, with assistance from her daughter Holly Churchill, an accomplished weaver. In addition to Metlakatla students, three advanced Tsimshian weavers participated in the project, sharing techniques learned in their families and communities and learning new ones: Kandi McGilton (co-founder of The Haayk Foundation), Karla Booth (granddaughter of Tsimshian master weaver Violet Booth) and Annette Topham (niece of master Tsimshian weaver Lillian Buchert). Metlakatla elder Sarah Booth, a fluent speaker of Sm’algyax (Ts’msyen), assisted Kandi McGilton in documenting indigenous basketry terminology for use in language classes. The videos presented here, with footage from the workshops and residency, provide instruction on how to harvest and process materials and on how to weave a basket from start to finish. To learn more about Tsimshian culture, please visit the website Sharing Knowledge at http://alaska.si.edu, where you will find information about all Alaska Native cultures and educational materials in the Resources section.

Video Duration

5 min 12 sec

Data Source

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska

YouTube Channel

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska channel

Uploaded

2019-06-18T22:15:50.000Z

Creator

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska

Type

YouTube Videos

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Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska channel

YouTube Category

Education

Topic

Arctic Studies;Alaska;Alaska Natives;Native Art;Indigenous Art

Record ID

yt_DMG5-MaSn3g

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Usage conditions apply