Smoke Signals
She Weaves Herself Info Her
Tribal Member Sanda "Sam" Henny continues to inspire with her color.
8 DECEMBER 15, 2003
Art
By Peta Tinda
Tribal member and renowned basket weaver
Sanda "Sam" Henny is one step closer to achiev
ing her long-time goal: to have one of her bas
kets displayed in the Grand Ronde wing of the
Portland Art Museum.
"Someday, I'll be there," said Henny. "I told
the curator, Bill Mercer, you need one of my
baskets, you don't have any color."
Color is something Henny is well known for.
Her eye-catching baskets, made with brightly
dyed Pendleton wool, have become famous in
weaving circles and have garnered her much
praise and accolades, including her being se
lected to take part in the Annual Sitka Art Cel
ebration and sale, where her pieces will be dis
played alongside some of the Northwest's most
highly regarded and popular artists, such as Rick
Bartow and Sherrie Wolf.
She also has one of her baskets on display as
an example of contemporary basketry at the
Grand Ronde Hall of Legends at Spirit Moun
tain Casino.
By using non-traditional materials, she can ex
press herself with brilliant colors, and also not have
to wade through the underbrush to gather com
ponents. "I don't want to fight snakes," she said.
Henny, who works as Tribal Developmentor for
the Human Resources Department at Spirit
Mountain Casino, has been weaving for about
eight years and has developed a signature style
of vivid colors, intricate patterns and bold designs.
She learned from master weaver Joey
Lavadour of Pendleton, Oregon, who gave her
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nspirational Tribal member Sanda "Sam" Henny
with two of her finely crafted baskets that are well known
for their bright colors and intricate patterns.
some advice she still goes by.
"He said the most important thing was not to
fight the basket," said Henny.
Lavadour taught her to make baskets in the
traditional way, using time honored techniques
and materials. .
After learning the traditional methods, she
then began to develop a style all her own. By
adding intense colors and unusual shapes to her
baskets, she began to move away from the bas
kets being strictly utilitarian to becoming art
objects.
"I do it for the sake of art," she said.
Henny has also been teaching classes, both at
the Sitka Institute and in Grand Ronde, for sev
eral years.
"I don't know what's better, weaving or teach
ing weaving," she said. 'I will teach anyone who's
willing to learn."
When she is weaving the baskets she always
tries to maintain an optimistic attitude towards
the baskets to ensure that they are made in a
good way and that no negative energy goes into
the basket. "The basket takes all of that in,"
Henny said.
"That's where the spirit of the basket comes
from. When I weave, I weave myself into the
basket," she explained. "It's very a very spiri
tual process, very positive."
By using non-traditional materials she can
spend more time weaving the baskets instead of
gathering and curing materials.
But this doesn't make it any less time consum
ing. The average basket takes anywhere from 40
to 80 hours to make.
"The goal," said Henny. "Isn't to get it done
quickly."
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EEcSefs9 Bingo Party
Smiles Grand Ronde Tribal Elders got a
chance to meet, visit and win some prizes at the
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Center in Grand Ronde on December 8. Leona
Price, left, helps her father Albert Peters with his
card, while Bonnie Tom (below, from left) Wesley
West and Louise Colson enjoy themselves at the
party. Elder Dorothy
Green, (bottom left) was
also there, along with
her usual friendliness
and good nature.
Photos by
Peta Tinda
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