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Art Beyond Wolves

The art of the Quileute is as diverse as the people, and despite popular belief, not all of it has wolf motifs! This is only a sampling of the beautiful art of the Quileute, and though there are an increasing number of new works on the open art market (www.quileute-store.com), much of the historical material was lost in the early 1900s when a non-Indian resident of La Push burned the village down. In 2009, the Seattle Art Museum opened Behind the Scenes: The Real Story of the Quileute Wolves, a Quileute art exhibit that showcases many older works.

Basketry

Sophisticated basketry is one art form of the Quileute. The elder women believe that all of Quileute culture can be discussed by talking about basketry. The natural environment (expressed through the designs in the baskets; the materials used to make them; when and where those materials were gathered; and who has access to those places), the seasonal activities of the community, the oral traditions, and the language, are all embedded in the art of basket-making.

Some of the best known basket-makers are Beatrice Black, (whose work is well represented in the Burke Museum Ethnology Collection), Agnes Penn, Carrie Gray, and Nina Bright.

Weaving is still passed down among (primarily women) family elders to youth, such as master weaver Lela-May Morganroth to her daughter Pam. Additionally, weaving classes are held on the reservation and are another way the Quileute keep ancient traditions alive. Today, new fibers and materials might be incorporated to add color or modern flair to traditional works.

Top: Nina Bright

Left: Agnes and William Penn. (Image: Burke Museum)

Right: Carrie Gray with grandchildren on the Quileute Reservation. (Image: MOHAI 2004.43.1298)

Below: Marian Schumack, weaving teacher and her basket. (Image: Barbara Brotherton)

Carving

Unlike the art of the Northern Pacific Coast, Quileute art is more similar to Coast Salish style. Houseposts, rather than totem poles, and rounded shapes, more than "formline" techniques, are more common among the Western Washington Tribes. The Quileute men still carve traditional cedar canoes that are paddled in tribal canoe races and the annual Tribal Journey, which the Quileute participate in each year.

Canoes at the Quileute Tribal canoe shed, La Push. (Image: Barbara Brotherton)

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