GRAND MOUND — Yvonne Peterson and Trudy Marcellay are sixth-generation master basketry weavers.
Together with their children and grandchildren, they represent eight generations of Chehalis tribal artisans who practice a tradition that’s sustained their family and been passed down since the Chehalis Reservation was established.
Their mother, Hazel Pete, was herself a master weaver, teacher and lecturer. Pete, who died in 2003 at the age of 89, was known as a matriarch of the Chehalis Tribe.
“We’ve all grown up with the sounds, sights and smells of basketry,” Peterson said. “My mom raised eight kids and two foster kids, and she fell back on basketry as a traditional way to make an income. It was a natural for us to also become vendors.”
Saturday, more than 180 people representing at least 24 native tribes across the nation attended a basketry weaving workshop led by the sisters at Great Wolf Lodge, in Grand Mound.
Ten members of the family and 10 invited masters taught a variety of workshops throughout the day including baskets, rattles, pouches, dolls and hats made from cedar, sweet grass, cattails and more.
Visitors paid a registration fee and then a materials fee at each table that varied from $10 to $50.
This basketry workshop, “Weavers Teaching Weavers,” is organized annually by the Hazel Pete Institute of Chehalis Basketry.
Pete established the institute during her lifetime as a means to teach all who were interested in the art of basketry.
“Basketry is really about the language, the songs, the cultural protocol, the passing of information as a gift,” Peterson said.
Pete was also known for rekindling neglected traditions such as potlatches and first salmon ceremonies. She felt her greatest accomplishment was “instilling pride in the people for being Chehalis,” according to her biography online at the Lewis County Historical Museum.
Two guests at this year’s workshop, sisters from the Colville Tribe, Charlie Agapith, of Spokane, and Sonya Klein, of Buckley, were excited to finally try their hand at something they’ve always wanted to learn.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Agapith said. “It takes a lot of work, though. I’m glad Sonya invited me.”
Non-Native American are welcome at the workshop as well, Peterson said.
“We always say that my mom had 500 friends, and many of them were non-Indians,” she said. “One thing non-Indians get a feel for while they’re here is why weavers charge so much for their basketry.”
Next year’s workshop will be at the Great Wolf Lodge again, the Friday and Saturday after Mothers’ Day. For more information, call the Hazel Pete Institute of Chehalis Basketry at (360) 273-7274.
•••
Dian McClurg is a freelance writer living in Centralia. She can be reached at dlmcclurg@comcast.net.
