ries as weaving materials by the First People of this place. There be appreciated by children, when they are given pieces of the
is a boardwalk and gravel trail that follows the perimeter of the leather-like inner bark to experiment with as they sit next to
pond. A rain shelter built of yellow cedar is reminiscent of the young growing cedar trees. Non-conventional learning envi-
long houses that once stood nearby. A small cedar tool shed, ronments like the Suquamish Basket Marsh give opportunities
and wooden benches for students and classroom
are nestled in between teachers to meet and inter-
adolescent hazelnut, act directly with artists and
vine maple, and western other specialists from the
red cedar trees. Shrubs, community.
ferns and ground covers Today I will model
mingle below the wild my craft, and students will
roses, red currants, and get to experience weaving
willows. with cattails that they have
There is a class of helped to grow and harvest
third graders using this from their Basket Marsh.
space when I arrive. We will share stories, sing
Little faces peak out a weaving song, and then
from behind a bird blind weave a mat or make some
woven with grapevines rope in order to experience
from a local vineyard. first hand the ingenious
Other students are sitting ways that cattails and other
on boulders perched native plants have been
near the pond, glacial used by the First People of
remnants generously this place.
donated by a local land-
scape company. At this

moment the students are quietly engaged, making observations

and entries in their pond journals. They are smelling and touch-
Melinda West, of Indianola Washington has been practicing the art of
ing plants, writing, measuring, and sketching. In a little while,
natural fiber weaving since 1985. She has studied with many native
I will be accompanying a class of fourth graders the fifty odd
and non-native weavers and artists, the foremost being Ed Carriere of
yards away from the building, through the woven arbor gate
the Suquamish Tribe. Melinda enjoys sharing her love of natural his-
and under the twig sign that says: “Welcome”.
tory, environmental stewardship, and indigenous cultures through the
teachings and the practices of traditional fiber arts.
“In traditional Native American cultures, art was not a separate pursuit.
Beauty and utility came together in objects of everyday use to reflect a way
of life and an aesthetic that respected the relationship people had with their
If you would like to read the longer version of this article, please
environment.”
visit the Clearing Magazine website at www.clearingmagazine.
…Shaun Peterson, Salish Artist, 2004 SAM exhibit ”Song,
org and search for “suquamish.”
Story, Speech”
As a plant fiber artist, teachers invite me
to present ethnobotanical knowledge about
Pacific Northwest plants to their students. This
provides content for social studies and science
requirements, while the techniques for using
the plant fibers provide physical activity, math
and art skills. The Basket Marsh and outdoor
classrooms of its kind are living libraries and
laboratories. They contain unlimited resources
for teaching every subject students need to learn.
What I have to offer as a teaching artist is
most effective in an environment where stu-
dents can see, touch, smell, hear, and sometimes
even taste, the subject-matter. Again and again,
I have witnessed that this first-hand experi-
ential learning of natural science and culture
gives lasting memory and meaning to students.
The virtues of the western red cedar can easily
Clearing - 2009 Compendium Edition http://www.clearingmagazine.org Page 35
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54