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Basketmaking in Wood Workshop Sheds Light on Kanien'kehá Culture
In celebration of today's National Indigenous Peoples Day, which takes place during National Indigenous History Month, we look back to earlier in the year when woodshop teacher Mr. Brydges partnered with Chelsea Phillips, a Kanien'kehá basket maker from Kahnawake, to teach his students how to make a small version of a traditional pack basket. “In our culture, the large version of pack baskets is made by boys around the age of 12-13, and they are used when the boys go through their rites of passage, transitioning from childhood to manhood. They utilize the basket for hunting, fishing, or when they fast,” said Chelsea Phillips.
Students learned about the entire process from pounding logs to soaking splints of wood in order to produce small strips that could then be woven into a basket. “Basket weaving allowed us to bring Indigenous culture to life after learning about many of these rich indigenous traditions for the past couple of years. I truly enjoyed meeting Chelsea and listening to her describe the effort required to make such a basket,” said Aaron B., Grade 10 student.
