Artistic Cedar Weavers at North Cascades Institute

This summer I had the privilege of spending four days on Lake Diablo, in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington State.  But I certainly wasn’t roughing it.  I got to stay in a beautiful lodge, and eat wonderful, fresh, organic food, artfully prepared.  The best part of my experience was being able to share time with the amazing group of students who came to learn about weaving with the inner bark of the Western red cedar.  I’m sure I learned more than I taught, and all the other folks who were talking classes, or just visiting North Cascades Institute, where I was teaching, were friendly, and mutually interested and informative about the natural world.  I’ll post more images later, but here’s the class and most of the work on this table was created by them.  Many thanks to those hard-working folks at North Cascades Institute for arranging such a wonderful experience.  I can’t wait to go back next summer! 

Clam Basket - A Story By Ed Carriere This Wonderful Cultural Art Film is Now Available

After decades of dreaming, and two years in the making, this story has found a beautiful way to be told.


For the Puget Sound Coast Salish People of the Suquamish Tribe, weaving baskets from cedar limbs and roots and digging clams are age-old traditions that come together in the Clam Basket. This short film by Suquamish elder Ed Carriere demonstrates his mastery of the ancestral art form and the land it sprang from.

For more information, Email: melindawestbasketry@gmail.com

Produced by: Katie@MediaAlley.net

MEDIA ALLEY: Media strategies and services that support engaged learning