Alaskan Native Basketry & Baskets
Spruce Root | Cedar Bark | Pine Needle
Watch video of Teri weaving baskets: (Page may appear blank while video loads)

The spruce root baskets I weave are a variety of Tlingit utilitarian baskets. Some are water tight, like the drinking cups and cooking baskets, others are open weave as cover bottles or gathering baskets. I also weave smaller examples of these Tlingit baskets for the tourist trade, just as my Grandmother did and her Mother did.

Here are a couple of baskets I wove for the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) for their Native American basket show in Sept. 2003. Terry Pyles did the wonderful killer whale bead. The other basket is a tobacco basket with off-the-hook fern false embroidery.

Click here to view more spruce root baskets
Cedar bark is another wonderful local material used for basketry and Chilkat wool Regalia. I only weave a few pieces in cedar bark anymore. The Cedar are very abundant, but the harvesting does impact the living tree for the rest of its life... Also, the spruce root was also the preferred material over the centuries and I have come to trust that traditional knowledge, it usually is rooted in Indgenous Science.

When I was beginning my journey as a weaver my abilities to gather enough materials to support my weaving through the winter months was lacking! In order to fill this void, I created Pine Needle baskets. I still create them today. They are a joy to me, and have taught me balance and symmetry.
Click here to view Teri's pine needle baskets

Many of my baskets find their way into Public displays or Museums. It is exciting to let people know the Art is still alive. Some of the places you will find my basketry are: Natural History Museum in Denver, CO; Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, AK; Totem National Park in Sitka, AK.

 


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Web site ©copyright 2002-2007 by Teri Rofkar | Web design by Hudson Hudson

This site was created to share information about Alaskan Native arts and artists, Alaskan Native basketry and basketweaving, Ravenstail weaving, Northwest Coast spruce root baskets, Northwest Coast cedar bark baskets, pine needle basketry, American Indian crafts, and the work of Tlingit Indian artist Teri Rofkar from Southeast Alaska. Please feel free to print out any of the information on this web site for your personal use. We welcome links to Teri's web site.

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