Chumash Basketry Preservation
The Awakening of Chumash Basketry In Our Community
In Spring 2009, Wishtoyo Foundation began its Chumash Basketry Preservation Program. Almost a lost cultural practice and art form, Chumash basketry is renowned for its artistic beauty and complexity of material usage and design.
Giving the Gift of Strength and Knowledge
Tima Link Lotah, daughter of Chumash Elder Dr. Kote Lotah, has been commissioned by the Elders to teach basketry on a multigenerational level. A dedicated cultural educator and master basketweaver, Timah pours back into her community through sharing her knowledge of gathering and weaving.
She weaves basket hats, cooking baskets, storage baskets, cradle boards and much more. She often teaches private events for our community here at the Village.
Tima doesn't have to weave baskets for the same reasons as our ancestors did (storage, cooking, gathering, etc.). She weaves “for the joy of continuing our traditions and to stay in relationship with the land and plants.” Equally important as learning to weave is passing this knowledge to the next generation, preserving plant habitats, and maintaining Chumash gathering rights.
Read “Weaving the World Together,” the article Timah wrote about her experience learning basketry and deepening her relationship to plants, culture, and community.
“But, it's not just a hobby. It's my culture. I'm deeply connected to this activity. Because, when you come out and you gather, you are not just gathering. You are tending the land. You are learning the words for the plants. You are bringing your friends and your family. So it becomes an activity that is more of a tradition than a hobby. I can't imagine myself as anything else. It's everything that I am.”
-Tima Lotah Link
Weaving Through the Fences, KCET interview
