Harvesting, Processing Spruce Roots with Master Haida Weaver

Follow master Haida weaver Delores Churchill into the woods and see how to harvest and process spruce roots, which is the first step in making a spruce-root basket. To get the roots needed for spruce-root weaving, Delores Churchill (Haida) and Hans Chester (Tlingit) show us the best places to look for spruce roots, what diameter the roots should be, how to strip the bark off, and how to split the root.

This is one in a series of videos that show all the steps of making a spruce-root basket. To view the full playlist go to    • Spruce-Root Basketry  

This series filmed a spruce-root weaving apprenticeship that SHI created to revitalize the ancient Northwest Coast art of spruce-root basketry. Learn more about the apprenticeship at http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/node/500

The filming of this series was gifted to SHI by Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic as a way to give back to the cultures of the places their travelers visit. Gunalchéesh, Háw'aa, T'oyaxn, Thank You.