Monthly Archives: September 2020

3 posts

28 September 2020; Karuk Basket

This delicate basket is from a California tribe named Karuk, meaning “upriver people”. The Karuk were the only tribe in California to grow tobacco plants. Traditional basket materials for the Karuk are willow, pine root, bear grass, maidenhair fern, and woodwardia. The four central ‘lightning’ lines utilize a quilled technique […]

21 September 2020; Beaded Needle Carrier

As the piece is displayed in the exhibit (see first photo in set) it appears to be a simple panel that is covered in beautiful beadwork. What remains unseen is that the piece is actually an imaginative tri-fold carrier for needles. This style of beadwork is common to that of […]

14 September 2020; Kwakiutl Bumble Bee

This is a Bumble Bee (also called “The Scratcher”) mask from the Kwakiutl people of the Pacific Northwest. Often worn by children during the Potlatch ceremony, the Bee Dancers would provide some comic relief as they buzzed around the participants. Those that were “stung” by the bees would then be […]