Mendocino County Museum
400 East Commercial Street, Willits, California 95490 707-459-2736
"When they finish a basket, they usually turn it upside down, then you put your awl on top and then you put your basket roots right on top of it … Let it sit there, maybe couple days or so - four days, at least four days. Then, after that, anybody can look at it." --Virginia Buck, Mendocino County Museum Oral History Collection
The Pomo speakers of Northern California have excelled in the art of basketmaking. The wide range of techniques, the fineness of weave, and the beauty of design and decoration typical of Pomo baskets indicate an arduous and time-consuming process.
Basketmaking begins with the gathering of the appropriate plant materials, and the proper preparation of those materials. Each basket is constructed with advance knowledge of its intended function, shape and design. The detailed information on how to make a Pomo basket is most often learned by example from mother to daughter.
The basketweaving technique of twining involves the wrapping of a woof thread perpendicularly around the warp foundation. Five twined weaves are practiced by the Pomo: plain twining; diagonal twining; lattice twining; three strand twining; and three strand braiding.
The basketmaking technique of coiling involves movement in a spiral course stitched around a foundation. Two types of foundations are used equally by the Pomo: that of only one willow stick and that of three willow sticks.
Basketry Links
Elsie Allen
Elsie Allen, Pomo Basket Family
Remember Your Relations: The Elsie Allen Baskets, Family and Friends
from the Oakland Museum
Susan Billy
Susan Billy: Spirit Drawn to Weave a Legacy
by Sandy Thompson, A & E, April, 1999
Susan Billy: Basketweaver, Beader, and Educator
Pomo Baskets
Pomo Baskets from California Indian Baskets
Native Basketry: Survival, Beauty
Pomo Indian Weavers: their Baskets and the Art Market
an exhibit from the University of Pennsylvania
Pomo Indian Gift Baskets
from the Smithsonian Gem and Mineral Collection
California Indian Basketry
Weaving a Culture-Exploring California Indian Baskets
from the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center (requires Flash)
California Indian Basketweavers Association
