Illustration: Examples of Makah basketry.
The Makah, or Qwiqwidicciat (people of the cape), appear to have lived and prospered on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state for the last four thousand years. While they still live in the vicinity, their tribal lands today are only a small proportion of their original homeland.
The textile crafts have always been important to the Makah with weaving, spinning and basketry being particularly important craft skills. The Makah produced clothing, blankets and rugs as well as a wide range of basketry. Although Makah basketry techniques and skills are similar to those found along large sections of the coast including Washington and British Columbia, this does not mean that very local variations in technique and finish did not exist. Indigenous people along the Northwest coastal region had a range of individual styles and pattern work that made their basketry weaving unique to their own local community.
Illustration: Map of original homeland of the Makah, along with other nations.
Cedar bark has always been one of the main materials used within Makah basketry weaving. Raw materials were collected over the spring months when the bark was more easily stripped from young cedar trees. Only the innermost bark was collected, which was then dried and stored. In the long winter months the women who were the basket weavers, produced a range of basketry for domestic use.
Although cedar bark has always been considered the most common aspect of Makah basketry, it was by no means the only material used. Other forms of bark, roots and grasses were incorporated into the weave. The nature of the material would depend on the use that was to be made of the finished basket.
Illustration: Makah basket weavers, 1910.
Pattern and decoration have always been important elements of Makah basketry and these have been regularly incorporated into the weave as both simple geometrical to more representational elements such as birds and fish.
As with many cultures, baskets were used for all aspects of domestic life. Whale hunting has always been a central theme of the Makah and heavy-duty baskets were commonly used, being brought to the beach to carry whale meat and oil after a successful hunt. However, baskets came in a many forms and were made specifically for tasks such as gathering, storing and indeed the tourist trade.
Illustration: Makah large carrying basket, 1910.
Basketry is still being produced by the Makah, but obviously not to the extent that it once was. A couple of websites have been listed below where a selection of Makah basketry can be seen and some of which can be purchased. Also listed is the official Makah nation website where much more information can be found concerning the long history and culture of the Makah. There is also a list of interesting books dealing with a number of aspects of the Makah.
Illustration: Makah large carrying basket, 1910.
Further reading links:
Makah nation official website
Makah Cultural & Research Center Online Museum
Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture - Makah Baskets
Gwens Native Collectibles - Makah Basketry
Clamshell Boy: A Makah Legend
Voices of a Thousand People: The Makah Cultural and Research Center
nhe Makah Indians: A Study of an Indian Tribe in Modern American Society
Since the Time of the Transformers: The Ancient Heritage of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth, Ditidaht, and Makah (Pacific Rim Archaeology)
Singing the Songs of My Ancestors: The Life and Music of Helma Swan, Makah Elder (Civilization of the American Indian Series)
Tradition and Change on the Northwest Coast: The Makah, Nuu-Chah-Nulth, Southern Kwakiutl, and Nuxalk
The Makah (Indian Nations Series)
Drawing Back Culture: The Makah Tribe's Struggle for Repatriation (A McLellan Book)
The Makah (Watts Library)
How The Makah Obtained Possession Of Cape Flattery (Kessinger Publishing's Rare Reprints)
The Whaling Equipment of the Makah Indians
Portrait in time: Photographs of the Makah by Samuel G. Morse, 1896-1903
