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About Siletz news letter. (Siletz, Oregon) 1989-1997 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1992)
Ole' Sondenaa Keeps Traditional Basketry Alive Tribal Member Viola "Ole'" Sondenaa, is one of the few left who is keeping the art of basket weaving alive as part of the Siletz Culture. Visiting the Sondenaa home is a learning experience...the memories of a lifetime are all there and the knowledge of a crafts man are on display everywhere you look. Basket weaving materials that have been cleaned, boiled, dyed and sorted are in evidence and Ole' takes the time to explain where each is found in nature, how to prepare the materials and how they are woven into a finished product. It's a warm, comfortable atmosphere that extends into the baskets she creates with the help of her husband, Ray. Like the little extra love that goes into good home cooking, that little extra love and dedication shows in her work. Ole' , the daughter of Abe and Belva Logan, was raised near Canoe Landing, her family home located along the road today called Miller Road four miles north of Siletz. She married Ray Sondenaa: and together they raised three sons, Raymond II, Ed and Larry at their present home on Ojalla Road only a couple of miles from her original family home. Around 1972, before her husband Ray retired, Ole' decided that it was time to try her hand at basketry. It wasn't easy to begin with and Ole' and Ray both laugh when relating the trial and error process that went into her first attempts. Gradually Ray became as interested in the project as Ole'. They would spend many hours looking for the spruce roots , bear grass, maidenhair fern, cedar bark, hemlock roots, and cherry switches which are all necessary items for the craft and as many of you know some of these things are hard to find. Then would come the hard work of harvesting, cleaning, boiling, dying, sorting, and selecting the materials to be used on the individual baskets which vary with the design of each basket to be made. It didn’t take long and her baskets became well known. In 1982, the University of Oregon contacted Ole', asked for and recieved permission to use one of her baskets as part of a traveling display on Native Americans in Oregon which traveled to Coos Bay, Klamath SILETZ,’OREGON' January 1992 • PAGE 3 hand: spruce roots, bear grass, maidenhair, cedar bark, hemlock root, and wild cherry switches. The basket took over two months to complete, stands approximately two feet high and the result is something special to look at. Upon examining the different baskets in Ole's collection, she took the time to explain the individual designs that tell us who created them. Each weaver had their own particular pattern and some of the older baskets can be identified through those designs: Cora Samuel's baskets had an up and down triangular design, Minnie Lane's baskets had arrows and Ethel Felix used a butterfly on some of her baskets. Like a signature on a painting, these help us know who the artist was. Another common way to tell a Siletz basket is the double handle used only by the Siletz people. It's a comfort to know that this ancient art is being carried on by a precious few with love and dedication. Thank you Ole' for preserving this craft and helping it to extend into the future for this generation and those yet to be born to understand and appreciate. Falls, Warm Springs, The Dalles and Springfield. One of her baskets is still on display at the University. More recently, Ole' took the time to give a presentation in Toledo to the members of Beta Sigma Phi in November. For a few years Ole' took a breather, but now she’s making baskets again. With a twinkle in her eye she shows a basket she is making of vine maple rather than hazel switches. She explained that she and Ray prune back a vine maple bush which allows them the reharvest it each year for switches. Although hazel is considered the most common of traditional materials to use, vine maple was also used in the ancient art of basketry. One basket in particular stands out from the rest. Ole' explained with a chuckle that she had decided to create one basket using some of each of the traditional materials normally used in basketmaking that she had on Ron Hudson Alcohol/Drug Counselor Salem/Portland Tribal member Ron Hudson, son of Gladys Bolton, has recently been hired as the Outpatient Drug/Alcohol Counselor for the Salem/Portland area. His central office is located in Salem. Ron and his wife, Mary, a nurse at the Salem Memorial Hospital, have a five year old son, Anthony. Ron also has two sons, D.W. and Charles who live at Warm Springs. He has a background of 9 years of experience in the Alcohol/Drug field. In 1989 Ron became a full time college student and is presently attending George Fox College, working towards a Degree In Management. WELCOME ABOARD RON! Researcher Asks For Assistance An experienced researcher, Richard "Dick" Hansen, is in the process of compiling a book about all the fine work done by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the State of Oregon from 1933 through 1942. He is presently trying to locate any Native Americans who Served in the CCC in Oregon in camps which were under BIA supervision. If you served in a BIA CCC Camp within Oregon, during this time period, he would like to hear from you. If you served in a CCC camp which was not under BIA supervision, he would also be interested In hearing of your experiences with the CCC. You can contact Richard Hanson by mall at 2650 Sheridan Avenue, North Bend, OR 97459 or by phone at (503) 756-0256.
