Within the Weavers Circle

Weavers Nonie Woolf and Jane Town pose with a basket that was made and donated by Bud Lane,, NNABA president, at the 13th Annual gathering’s silent auction.

Basketweavers, basket collectors and basket buffs will converge on the Quinault Beach Resort & Casino near Ocean Shores, Oregon Oct. 3–5 for the 14th annual Gathering of the Northwest Native American Basketweavers Association.

“Our mission is to preserve, promote and perpetuate traditional basketmaking,” explains Bud Lane (Siletz) of Oregon, president of the 500-member group. “Every year, the event gets bigger, with people coming from all over the nation to shop, and more and more people turning out for the classes.”

Friday, he explains, is devoted to “weavers teaching weavers,” the teachers being 35 member artisans identified by the group as masters. The teaching continues on Saturday for the general public, along with sales of work by members. “The most common baskets of the region are made from coiled and plaited cedar bark,” Lane notes, “but other artists, like me, work in twined spruce root and hazel stick. I really enjoy seeing all the local variations and differences in materials and styles.” Sunday is devoted to a business meeting of the group, including election of officers.

Each year the Gathering moves to a new location, hosted by a particular tribe. This year, the Quinault Tribe will welcome the group. The Saturday-night banquet will include a video shot on their lands portraying weavers, resource areas where materials are gathered, and life on the reservation. Current and former Miss Quinaults will sing and dance as well. Another variation this year is the “Youth Track,” in which a handful of young weavers will teach peer to peer. “I’ve been mentoring them, taking them out to gather materials and to practice their craft,” says Leilani Chubby (Quinault), who is directing the local reception committee.  “They’ll be ready.”

Notes Lane, “If we don’t encourage and assist the up-and-comers, you’re looking at the end of weaving. But this is a bunch of really wonderful people with a clear focus on making sure it stays alive, so I’m not too worried about that.” What is a growing concern, he says, is loss of access to areas formerly used to harvest raw materials for basket weaving, and declining quantities and quality of those materials. Some of this is due to increased use of herbicides, so the group has been meeting with government agencies to see if they can reduce spraying and trimming of roadside plant life. “We’ve had some success, so I’m hopeful.”

Tickets for the banquet are $20 per person (expect clam chowder, salmon and other traditional fare). Admission to the day events requires both a registration fee and annual membership in NNABA. For event details, contact Chubby at lachubby@quinault.org or visit  nnaba.org.

ELSEWHERE

Sashay over to Schemitzun, Aug. 21–24, on the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation near North Stonington, CT, the largest annual gathering of Indians on the Eastern Seaboard. Events include a major powwow, singing contests, drumming contests, Buck-a-Rama rodeo, and arts and crafts. 800/224-CORN or foxwoods.com

Go west to the fifth annual Native American Basketweavers’ Market, Sept. 6, Gatekeeper’s Museum, Tahoe City, CA, with sales, demonstrations and exhibits of basketry by California and Nevada weavers, along with photos and exhibits of historic baskets and weavers, an acorn processing and cooking demonstration at 3 p.m., and antique/contemporary American Indian art appraisals (at $10 per item). 530/583-1762 or northtahoemuseums.org

Saddle up for the 98th annual Pendleton Round-Up, Sept. 6–13, Pendleton, OR, considered one of the top four rodeos in North America. Events include a major Indian pageant called Happy Canyon Night Show (with some 500 participants!) and an Indian encampment on the Umatilla River with sales of arts and crafts. 800/457-6336, happycanyon.com or http://pendleton.thechamber.net

Enjoy the Seneca Fall Festival, Sept. 12–14, Irving, NY, sponsored by the Seneca Nation. Festivities kick off Friday night with a Native foods cooking contest, and continue Saturday morning with a parade, followed by an Iroquois dancing contest, baby contest, horseshoe tournament, arts and crafts exhibition and sales, a carnival and more. 716/532-4900 or senecanation.com

Visit the 12th annual Ridgefield Native American Festival, Sept. 13–14, in Ballard Park, Ridgefield, CT, with top-notch live music (including Grammy winner Joanne Shenandoah), dancing, a fine art exhibit and sales, art demonstrations, traditional foods and a tipi village. 203/438-7146

Gallop over to the Pony Moon Gala, Sept. 20, Skirvin Hilton Hotel, Oklahoma City, OK, honoring W. Richard West Jr., the founding director emeritus of the National Museum of the American Indian. Enjoy an original dance performance choreographed by Holly Tall Chief, and an exhibition of artwork by Dick West (Richard’s father) at the Jacobson House in Norman (on view Sept. 20–Nov. 16). Tickets $150. 405/366-1667 or jacobsonhouse.com

Pack your bags for the All Roads Film Festival, presented by the National Geographic Society. A slate of films by and about Native peoples of the world will screen Sept. 25–28 at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles; Oct. 2–5 at the Society headquarters in Washington, D.C.; and Dec. 3–7 in Santa Fe at various locations. nationalgeographic.com/allroads

Belly up to the Moveable Feast, Sept. 26–28, at various locations in Santa Fe, NM. This benefit event for the noteworthy nonprofit Futures for Children (with its focus on providing educational opportunities for Native youth) includes an opening dinner and art auction at Gebert Contemporary Art Gallery, a tribute to W. Richard West Jr. (NMAI founding director emeritus), a symposium, a gathering of Futures graduates and their mentors, and a closing brunch at Blue Rain Gallery. 800/545-6843, ext. 109 or futuresforchildren.org

Spend a day at the second annual Southwest Traders Rendezvous & Rug Auction, Sept. 26–28, Cortez Cultural Center, Cortez, CO, a gathering of Indian and non-Indian traders selling both collectibles and fine arts, along with storytelling, lectures, films, exhibits, traditional foods, a banquet, live music, rug auction and craft appraisals. 970/565-1151 or cortezculturalcenter.org

Don’t miss the 10th annual Native American Music Awards, Oct. 4, Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, Niagara Falls, NY. This year’s live show will feature tributes to Rickey Medlocke (of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackfoot), Felipe Rose (Village People), Jesse Ed Davis, Redbone and Janice Marie Johnson (Taste of Honey). Tickets at Ticketmasters.
 www.senecaniagaracasino.com

Check out the third annual Cherokee Art Market, Oct. 10–12, Tulsa, OK, with more than 200 artists as well as live entertainment, an appraisal table, culture tent, children’s art-making tent, seminars, demonstrations and a wide choice of food. Free transportation and entry to the renowned Philbrook and Gilcrease museums will also be offered. 918/384-6990 or cherokeeartmarket.com

Weave your way over to the second annual Rio Grande Native American Basket Makers Association Gathering, Oct. 18–19, Poeh Center, Pojoaque Pueblo, NM. The first day is reserved for Native Americans, with workshops, talks and demonstrations on regional basketry techniques (including Pueblo, Hopi, Navajo, Apache and Tohono O’odham), a raffle and lunch. The second day is open to the general public. 505/455-1110

Bring your appetite to Gifts of the Land, Oct. 25, 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m., Mashantucket Pequot Museum, CT for a harvest celebration including feasting on cranberries, pumpkins, shellfish and other indigenous foods; a performance by the Alleghany River Dancers led by Bill Crouse (Seneca), including the mesmerizing smoke dance; and games and craft demonstrations. Free with museum admission. pequotmuseum.org

Catch the curtain of Echoes: Native Symphony & Dance Premiere, Oct. 25–26, Anchorage, AK, sponsored by the Peabody Essex Museum of Massachusetts and other ECHO (Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations) institutions from Hawaii and Alaska. This groundbreaking event, based on an original 25-minute “tone poem” by Anchorage Symphony Orchestra Music Director Randall Craig Fleischer, will fuse the 80-member Anchorage Symphony with traditional Native musical and dance traditions, and digital images and sounds recorded in diverse tribal homelands. The piece will also be performed with a chamber music orchestra on Nov. 8 at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. 907/330-8000, alaskanative.net or echospace.org