Suquamish Master Weaver Ed Carriere and I really enjoyed being able to share a fun project with wonderful creative students at Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network, or BARN, this past May 5, 2018.
Fish net anchors have been made and used by Coast Salish Peoples since they began fishing the waters of the Salish Sea from six to ten thousand years ago. Ed learned how to recreate these artifacts through his recent work with archaeologist, Dale Croes, which is documented in the 2018 book they have co-authored: “RE-AWAKENING ANCIENT SALISH SEA BASKETRY – FIFTY YEARS OF BASKETRY STUDIES IN CULTURE AND SCIENCE”, available through Amazon.
Ed brought in all the tools, the best stones and materials to use while practicing this technology.
Ed also brought in many examples of his impeccable work woven with plant materials.
Ed demonstrated how to clean Wild Cherry Bark which was commonly used as the lashing material in the ancient artifacts that Ed studied. He also showed us how to split cedar limbs, roots, and inner bark as usable for lashing the stones to the special “Y” twigs that were traditionally used.
Students watched Ed’s hands at work as he demonstrated the process of cradling a rock in a branch that has grown into a “Y” joint, then lashing the stone in a way that keeps it from falling out. “Practice is the best teacher” Ed says with a chuckle after he shows us an example of a Net-Anchor, absent the stone, that he made when he was teaching himself.
Then, off to practicing. Some students had brought special stones, or beach glass they had been saving to use in this creative endeavor.
Ed and I were there to support students while they worked on their skills. We encouraged them to explore using different materials as well. Ed and I were so impressed by their creative work, as you can see here for yourself.
We thank BARN for hosting this workshop and are grateful to Ellen Miyasato who was our BARN assistant. We wouldn’t have been able to have this very special sharing experience with Ed Carriere if it weren’t for each of these wonderful students who added their own creative ingredients!
Jake, Mary, Andrea, Jess, Corinne, Sue, Julie, Carol, Holly and Ellen: Thank you for sharing this time with us. We hope you continue to enjoy the creative process as you keep making treasures from nature that will delight you and others!
