Mono Monday : : Heritage

All three of these baskets were made by native California Pomo Indians. The two larger ones were given to my grandfather by parishioners when he was a pastor at the First Presbyterian  Church in Red Bluff, California. I think my brother has one or two more.

The small one, which usually contains a snakeskin, a dried pipetail swallowtail butterfly, some lace fungus and a few pebbles and shells I've picked up along the way, was given to me by OilMan's grandmother for my birthday many years ago.

The Pomo people are indigenous people of California. In the 1850's many Pomo were attacked and pressured by the U S government. were rounded up, removed from their ancestral land  and relocated to reservations which were more like internment camps. Many were forced to work under harsh conditions by white settlers. Many of them were massacred.

It was the women, who made the baskets, who made a huge change for the Pomo people. By preserving the traditional methods of gathering materials and passing down the designs and methods of weaving, their beautiful, watertight baskets, were largely responsible for the survival of the culture. The beauty of design and skill of workmanship became the way the Pomo could make money and become landowners.  Baskets are still made by Pomo women and  command substantial prices. 

Sonoma County is rich with history and I feel very privileged to possess a little piece of it…

If you are interested in more information, here  is a link.