MRS. SCHUYLER COLFAX Makah

In 1885, Schuyler Colfax was a classmate of Daniel W.
Quedessa, who later married Bertha Quedessa.

JENNIE HARMON Suquamish

FRAN JAMES AND BILL JAMES Lummi

Fran James and her son, Bill, have been instrumental in reviving and continuing the traditional weaving and basketry skills of the
Lummi people. Fran was raised by her grandmother on an island where they raised 500 head of sheep. Her grandmother knitted
and sold socks for about 25 cents a pair. Fran learned to spin and knit from her grandmother at the age of nine. She also learned to gather traditional basketry materials, and has become a skilled basketmaker. Bill began to weave traditional blankets about 30 years ago. He and Fran have taught basketry and weaving at
Lummi Community College for many years.

ADA MARKISHTUM Makah

Born in 1882, Ada learned to work with tules and cattails from
her grandmother, Dah Qua Dih, who was called Quaddy (Mrs.
Thomas Ward). Ada was a consultant to Dr. Erna Gunther,
former Director of the Burke Museum, who photographed her
gathering and preparing traditional basketry materials.
Markishtum made baskets for the Burke Museum's travelling
education kits in the 1950s. Her opinions on artifacts in the
collection are inscribed in the museum's Ethnology catalog.

SUBIYAY BRUCE MILLER Skokomish

Subiyay has woven baskets for over 40 years. He was the founding president of the Northwest Native American Basketweavers Association and producer of a documentary film featuring his two primary basketry teachers, Emily Miller and Louisa Pulsifer of the Skokomish Tribe. Over the years Subiyay
has taught basket weaving to a large number of people. He sees basketry as an important way of conveying the Skokomish cultural identity to future generations.

SHARRON NELSON Chinook/Puyallup

Sharron learned to make baskets from her twin sister, Karen Reed-Peter, as well as from Anna Jefferson. She has taught
classes for the Puyallup Tribe as well as the Northwest Indian College. She is proud of her daughter, Denise, who's been weaving since she was about 7 years old.

TERESA PARKER Makah

Teresa is the Educational Curator for the Makah Nation Museum. She has been weaving baskets for over 35 years. She credits her own success to her Grandmother's patience, as the skill was hard won. She incorporates their philosophy into her own teaching: break the techniques down into small steps that are easy to remember.

NORMA PENDLETON Makah

Norma has been weaving cedar bark baskets since the early
1960s. She credits her mother, Lyda Butler Colfax, for her
knowledge of basketry. When Norma was a child, she recalls
sitting and watching her mother weave baskets. Norma has made
Ozette archaeological replicas for the Makah Cultural and
Research Center and the Burke Museum. This cedar bark cradle
is a replica of one excavated at the Ozette village site.

HAZEL PETE Chehalis

Hazel Pete is a respected elder of the Chehalis tribe. She studied art at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, then education and Native American Studies at The Evergreen State College, and finally did graduate work in education at the University of Washington. "I grew up watching my mother, Harriet Pete, and my grandmother and
great-grandmother do baskets. I learned at a young age how to gather, clean, and store the basket materials. This I have passed on to my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren now. In my lifetime I know seven generations of the Chehalis who have been basket makers." She is the founder of the Hazel Pete Institute of Chehalis Basketry. Hazel was a "Master Artist" in 1994-95, sponsored by the Washington State Arts Commission Folk Arts Program, and was on the faculty at The Evergreen State College during 1995-96.

KAREN REED-PETER Chinook/Puyallup

Karen is the daughter of Benjamin and Lucille Reed. She got her B.A. degree in General Studies at the University of Washington.
She learned to weave from her grandmother, Hattie Cross, and Beatrice Black of Tahola. She has taught basketry at gatherings throughout the northwest since 1974. She wove the replica of the Wapato Creek hat for this exhibit. Her grandmother lived on Wapato Creek.