Spilyqy Tytnoo, Warn? Springs, Oregon August 25, 2001
Mill
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Continued from Page 1
Since then, the mill has become
more efficient, and the production
level has actually increased with
one shift rather than two. There
are various reasons why this hap
pened. One reason is that the operators
of the big-log equipment, installed
in 1998, have matured in their
skills, said Larry Potts, mill gen
eral manager.
Another reason for the im
proved production level is that
maintenance workers now have
time to ensure that the machinery
is operating as efficiently as pos
sible, said Dave Reynolds, mainte
nance supervisor.
Production coordinator Katchia
said, "We're running the machin
ery at design capacity." Under one
shift the cooperation and coordi
nation among the departments at
the mill has also greatly improved,
Katchia said.
Anthony Van Pclr, sawmill su
perintendent, said, "Running the
mill on one shift means that there's
more time to make sure we're do
ing things right. And the crew we
have now is very good," he said.
"There's good cooperation be
tween maintenance and produc
tion." When the mill changed from
one shift to two, Van Pelt had the
task of developing the list of who
remained on the job, and who was
let go.
'That was the hardest thing I've
ever had to do," he said. "The
people wc have here now are the
best of the best"
(This is the first of two articles
on the WSFPI mill. The second
article, on changes that may hap
pen in the future at the mill, will
run in the next edition of the
Spilyay Tymoo.)
Photos by Davt McMtchan
Emily Waheneka, left photo, has seen many seasons of gathering
over the years; Sara Vaeth's youthful energy resulted in a bountiful
accumulation of huckleberries.
Huckleberries
Continued from Page 1
Past HeHe, Scott drove onto
Skyline Road toward High Rock.
Scott, Waheneka, Judy Kalama and
Sara Vaeth, who works as an in
tern at Cultural Resources, gath
ered some huckleberries.
Vaeth, being many years the
youngest, came back with by far
the most berries.
Scott explained that the huck
leberries this year are small.
The bushes have also produced
fewer berries than in most years,
Scott said.
The problem was the winter
snowpack in the higher elevations,
Scott said. With little moisture in
the ground from the snow, the
huckleberry bushes were not able
to produce many berries, he said.
The same thing happened last
year, Scott said.
Baskets practical, with artfiil delivery
By Bill Rhoades
Spilyay' Staff
High up in the Cascade Moun
tains, where weathered stands of
noble fir
i,.
and mountain hemlock
.'t nV .t'rt.'? r.J-
endilr'6 persistent wi'n'SsJartd'Yr5g(i',
Y""' ' tl "Yi; oroi & .'Trh .
winters, the warmth or July is a
passing luxury. The growing sea-'
son is short, but often prolific. If
one knows where to look, there are
fleeting treasures available for the '
taking.
At the forest's edge near a high
elevation meadow, the huckleber
, ries, buried in snow just' three '
months earlier, signal their edible
presence by turning a bluish
purple. Resident black bears and
blue grouse have come to dine on
the plentiful crop, sharing this sea
sonal bounty with human visitors
from the rangelands and river val
leys far. belaw... . ,
. '. A footpath winds through
the towering firs and leads to a
; sunny opening' where berries, grow
in abundance. A'1 tribal Wrry1''
picker walks the familiar path,
tracing the footsteps of her mother,
her grandmother, and countless
ancestors before them. Like her
mother, she wears her longj black
hair in braids,. Her .floral-patterned ; ,
dress is hemmed at the. shins, hang
ing over the elk:skin moccasins
protecting her feet. She wears a sash
belt around her waist and carries a
conical-shaped basket at her hip.
The basket is palm- '
sizprl at thp hasp flar-
inf out n the 1
1 1 inches, where it
achieves the diam
eter of a small din
ner plate. Along
the basket's rim
are a series of
loops, often re
ferred to as "ears."
ine loops are
laced with string to
hold down ferns
that will be used to
cover the day's har
vest. Ribbons of
bear grass, stitched
into quarter-inch
squares, decorate the
basket's exterior
with multi-colored geometric The
pattern appears as connecting Vs
or mountain peaks. It is carried
wuh tlit inmost uk .a,J an. cnor-
e 4 4M4yW W
. fc. l '. ' ... .tliJlJiilJ J
fcjt Xllui j 1 - i J
mous sense of pride.
The basket described above is
one of several variations used for
huckleberry picking, on the reser
vation, its ori
gins are in the
Mid-Columbia
region, as evi
denced by its
common
name,
"Klickitat."
Cedar root,
stitched to
gether in a
method known
as coiling, pro
vides a durable
and highly
functional
foundation.
Narrow roots
farthest from the
tree are sought out as the
straightest and easiest to use ma
terial After they are harvested, the
cedar roots are split with a heavy
knife so the rough outer laver can
be removed. Selected portions of
the. r. 'i ar. .id for decoration.
the coil foundation and stitching
material. The outer skin is suitable
as decoration, while the longest
and smoothest fibers are reserved
for stitching material.
Basket makers do
not weave coiled
baskets; they sew
them. Long coils
are wound around
and around to
form a base and
then on top of
each other to form
the walls of a bas
ket. Each succes
sive layer is
stitched to its prede
cessor to keep the
basket intact. The
completed foundation
is sturdy and often wa
tertight, suitable as a
storage container or even
for cooking.
Bear grass, the preferred mate
rial for decoration, is gathered in
the late summer when the grass has
matured. leaves are harvested and
allowed to which time ihev
appear white in color. White is of
ten used for the decorative base,
with yellow, black and brown be
ing the other favored colors histori
1 "cally. Black can be obtained by
"'soaking the design, material in mud
from an alkaline spring. Brown
comes from willow bark and yel
low from Oregon grape stems and
roots. Contemporary basket mak
ers often color the design materi
als using commercial dyes.
Imbrications are applied to the
coiled foundation by folding the
design element on top of each
stitch. Designs are applied as the
foundation is being constructed,
making the two processes insepa
rable. The three-peaked mountain
design is common, but other ele
ments such as human figures,
horses, crosses, salmon gills, flow
ers and triangles are also used.
Klickitat-style baskets are a clas
sic form used by huckleberry pick
ers, throughout the Columbia Pla
teau, It is not, however, the only
form. Baskets similar in shape, but
made of split willow, are also popu
lar and highly functional.
Split willow baskets used for
huckleberry picking have Paiute,
as well as Wasco, origins. The foun
dations are coiled and the rims are :
often looped. Strips of willow are
used as the foundation and stitch
ing material. There is no exterior
decoration.
Cedar bark baskets are com
monly associated with
Columbia River
tribes. Foun-
s - . ,rt , " .. .
Pat Courtney Gold uses both traditional and modern materials.
Wasco
work
artist's
j i .i . ,,,
on display in gallery
""'r'""""nfiii,,i, ,."st
dations are
made from a
single plait of
western red ce
dar bark
folded in half.
Historically,
the two halves
were stitched
into a tubular
form with a
thread made of
the cedar's inner
bark.
A variety of bas
kets used for huckle
berry picking are on
display at The Museum at Warm
Springs. Classes in basket making
are offered on a periodic basis and
books relating to this subject can
be purchased dirough the gift shop.
I
T"" rii'n i, mm I,,, i I
''waMt'-iL'TI-i1niiiriir ii I
t-"i .-mritMitMi riiiii .
f -- .l.....i...Li..-'-"
PORTLAND - The Interstate
Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC)
announces its Fourth Annual
Community Artist Award and
Residency given to Native Ameri
can fiber artist Pat Courtney Gold.
Keeping Tradition: Exploring the
Boundaries will showcase her re
cent works, September 6 through
October 27, 2001.
The public is invited to a First
Thursday opening reception in her
honor on September 6, 5 p.m. to 8
p.m., featuring the music of Na
tive American flutist James
Greeley. The IFCC Gallery is lo
cated at 5340 North Interstate Av
enue. Gallery hours are Tuesday -Friday,
1 1 a.m to 6 p.m. and Satur
days, noon to 4 p.m. A Wasco na
tive known for their traditional
Sally Bags, Gold was selected for
the IFCC award and residency in
recognition of artistic excellence in
service to community. Her work
has been integral to the revival of
the almost lost technique of full
turn twining, a basket weave which
incorporates geometric designs
(human and animal motifs) unique
to the Wasco tribe. "I felt as
though the ancestors were waiting
for someone like me to come for
ward all this energy was being
focused and funneled through me
for the generations that are com
ing after me" says Gold. Gold de
scribes her earliest memory of
Sally Bags when her family visited
the Maryhill Museum.
Her Mother said, with pride,
"Our people made them." Her
artwork has helped to educate the
general public about Wasco and
Plateau culture, and the impor
tance of protecting our natural re
sources that provide the traditional
plant fibers used, while perpetuat
ing the traditional art form.
As a contemporary artist Pat
Gold uses traditional techniques to
create new works, but goes beyond
tradition using non-traditional ma
terials, and experimenting with
new patterns and forms. Her Sally
Bags feature contemporary motifs
such as "Yuppie Couple" and
"Spandex Sally."
Her baskets and wall hangings
explore plaited and twined
weavings with textured designs and
mixed media: commercial fibers,
copper sheets, wires, linoleum,
wall paper and "recycled" plastic
bags.
Pat Gold will also present
mono-prints in the Entry Gallery
in conjunction with the East-West
Symposium in Print Art. She ex
plores printing techniques with
handmade paper, mixed media col
lage and various textures, while
highlighting Native American
themes. In addition to the exhibi
tion, Pat Gold's residency will in
clude an ORIGINS LECTURE
SERIES, October 17th, 7:30 p.m.,
and two weaving workshops on
Plateau art and culture in Spring
2002.
For more information call 503-823-2072.
Fort Sill school sets 2001 reunion
Fort Sill Indian School Alumni
Association is preparing for the 2001
reunion.
Dates have been set for Sept 28
and 29. On Friday, Sept. 28, a re
ception is planned at the Fort Sill
Indian School campus.
On Saturday, the reunion will
continue at the Comanche National
Fair. This year's planners have de
cided to have the reunion during the
Comanche National Fair to give
alumni a variety of things to da
The last reunion lasted three days
and included a powwow. A specif.!
invitation is extended to all former
students and former staff.
For more information, contact:
Richard Bread, (405) 643-2770;
Phyllis Hunter, (405) 247-6673, ext.
258, e-mail PhyllisHunter(abia.gov.;
Lorene Kerchce, (580) 492-5492