Learn About the Art > About Indian Basketry > California > Northern California > Basketry Materials and Dyes
Northern Californian Basketry Materials & Dyes
Below are the primary materials & dyes, but by no means all used in Northern Californian basketry.
Warp Materials
Hazel and Willow
The primary materials used for the warp of the firm twined Northern California baskets are Hazel or Willow. Hazel was preferred as it was stronger and more bug resistant than willow. Hazel was often grown in prepared ground, which had been burned in the summer or fall so that when it sprouted in the spring it would come in with clean, straight shoots. When the young plant reached up to 36 inches in the second spring, the plant was harvested, usually in April or May. On the day of harvest, the shoots were prepared by removing the leaves, peeling the bark off the shoots, and then scraping the shoots to a consistent size. The shoots were then sun-dried, sorted by size, bundled for storage and then, when used, were soaked in hot water and woven while wet. Willow shoots, like hazel, were harvested in the spring, peeled while fresh, dried, sorted, stored and then soaked to use. Thick and heavy shoots were used for the large burden, hopper and cooking baskets, and fine shoots used for the fancy baskets and hats. The Hupa word for Hazel is “mukaikitloi” which means “On it one makes a basket”.
Warp and Weft
Tule or Bulrush
The Klamath and Modoc gathered the brown tule in October from their dugout canoes, pulling up the plants by the roots. Dried, cleaned and split stems with the inner parts removed were then rolled on the thigh and twisted into cordage (usually 2 ply), which was then used as warp and weft for the soft style basketry these two tribes are known for.
Nettle
The inner bark fiber was often used by the Modoc and Klamath to make a strong gray colored 2-ply cordage often for the base or start of their baskets.
Iris
Two fibers from each mature leaf of the Iris were removed, then rolled on the thigh to twist a 2-ply twine, which was used to make soft bags, gill nets, and in general clothing construction. Used by all Northwestern Californian tribes.
Weft Materials
Conifer Root
The preferred primary weft material for most of Northern California's Baskets was conifer root, as it was sturdy and would swell when wet, making it ideal for cooking and food basketry purposes. Coastal Redwood, juniper and digger pine were preferred by the Yurok, with digger and yellow pine preferred by the Hupa and Karuk who also traded for Coastal Redwood root. Harvested in the fall when the roots were drier, they were cut into 4’ lengths, 6” wide, then heat treated in a fire pit, then peeled and split into ¼” widths and stored. When used for weaving, they would be boiled and split again to a fine and even weft size. Often the root was overlaid with another, prettier, material.
(Note: the technique of overlay is different between the NW tribes and the NE tribes and is a quick way to identify the region the basket came from. On NW baskets, the overlay is seen only on the outside of the basket (half-twist overlay), whereas the overlay (pattern) is seen on both the inside and the outside of the NE baskets (full twist overlay).
Red Alder Roots:
Less common, but used by the Karuk, Yurok and Hupa for weft, red alder root was red/orange in color; was more brittle and was bitter to the taste (splitting roots with the teeth was common). This is not to be confused with White Alder inner bark which was used as a dye by chewing the bark and mouth-dyeing fern stem.
Beargrass
(Squawgrass/Sourgrass)
This is the primary light colored overlay weft material, ranging from a white to a golden tan color. As with Hazel, the ground is prepared by burning previous plant material periodically, and allowing the beargrass to grow in a rich and non-competitive
environment. It usually was harvested in late summer. To use, the leaves were soaked and, for fine work, split.
Maidenhair Fern
Harvested when mature, the fern is common from the coast to inland and was used by all the NW tribes. The stems have a
shiny black outer skin which was removed by either pounding the fresh stems with rocks or by splitting the stems; then removing the insides, then coiling the skins for storage. When used, the material was soaked, split to the desired diameter and shaped.
Woodwardia Fern or Giant Chain Fern inner stem strands
This is a large woodland forest fern harvested in Fall or Winter. The stems are pounded, separating the inner strands from the outer husks. The husk is discarded; the inner strands are then dyed red with the inner bark of the White Alder tree. The fern material is never used un-dyed. There are two methods of dying the fern strands: the first is for the weaver to chew the alder bark, which turns the saliva red, and then the fern strands are passed through the mouth until the color is transferred; the second is to pound the inner alder bark into a powder, then to boil it, or to seep it in cold water, then soak the fern. It is said that the mouth dying process yields a more even and solid dye. The dyed material is then dried, stored, then soaked just before using to make a basket.
*It is important to note that the Karuk use the alder dyed fern in the more extensively than any other Northern California tribe, especially as a background color.
Dyes
White alder: as described above, the inner bark yields a brick red dye which is transferred either through chewing and passing the material through the mouth, or by pounding into a powder and then boiling or leeching with the weft material.
Wolf Moss: Yellow tree lichen used to dye bear grass or porcupine quills.
Woka pod husks were used by the Klamath to dye tule black.
Black Mud: Iron rich mud was widely used throughout California to dye material black. It was common to add rusty nails and iron to strengthen the mud dye. Note that sometimes this dye ran.
Warp Materials
Hazel and Willow
The primary materials used for the warp of the firm twined Northern California baskets are Hazel or Willow. Hazel was preferred as it was stronger and more bug resistant than willow. Hazel was often grown in prepared ground, which had been burned in the summer or fall so that when it sprouted in the spring it would come in with clean, straight shoots. When the young plant reached up to 36 inches in the second spring, the plant was harvested, usually in April or May. On the day of harvest, the shoots were prepared by removing the leaves, peeling the bark off the shoots, and then scraping the shoots to a consistent size. The shoots were then sun-dried, sorted by size, bundled for storage and then, when used, were soaked in hot water and woven while wet. Willow shoots, like hazel, were harvested in the spring, peeled while fresh, dried, sorted, stored and then soaked to use. Thick and heavy shoots were used for the large burden, hopper and cooking baskets, and fine shoots used for the fancy baskets and hats. The Hupa word for Hazel is “mukaikitloi” which means “On it one makes a basket”.
Warp and Weft
Tule or Bulrush
The Klamath and Modoc gathered the brown tule in October from their dugout canoes, pulling up the plants by the roots. Dried, cleaned and split stems with the inner parts removed were then rolled on the thigh and twisted into cordage (usually 2 ply), which was then used as warp and weft for the soft style basketry these two tribes are known for.
Nettle
The inner bark fiber was often used by the Modoc and Klamath to make a strong gray colored 2-ply cordage often for the base or start of their baskets.
Iris
Two fibers from each mature leaf of the Iris were removed, then rolled on the thigh to twist a 2-ply twine, which was used to make soft bags, gill nets, and in general clothing construction. Used by all Northwestern Californian tribes.
Weft Materials
Conifer Root
The preferred primary weft material for most of Northern California's Baskets was conifer root, as it was sturdy and would swell when wet, making it ideal for cooking and food basketry purposes. Coastal Redwood, juniper and digger pine were preferred by the Yurok, with digger and yellow pine preferred by the Hupa and Karuk who also traded for Coastal Redwood root. Harvested in the fall when the roots were drier, they were cut into 4’ lengths, 6” wide, then heat treated in a fire pit, then peeled and split into ¼” widths and stored. When used for weaving, they would be boiled and split again to a fine and even weft size. Often the root was overlaid with another, prettier, material.
(Note: the technique of overlay is different between the NW tribes and the NE tribes and is a quick way to identify the region the basket came from. On NW baskets, the overlay is seen only on the outside of the basket (half-twist overlay), whereas the overlay (pattern) is seen on both the inside and the outside of the NE baskets (full twist overlay).
Red Alder Roots:
Less common, but used by the Karuk, Yurok and Hupa for weft, red alder root was red/orange in color; was more brittle and was bitter to the taste (splitting roots with the teeth was common). This is not to be confused with White Alder inner bark which was used as a dye by chewing the bark and mouth-dyeing fern stem.
Beargrass
(Squawgrass/Sourgrass)
This is the primary light colored overlay weft material, ranging from a white to a golden tan color. As with Hazel, the ground is prepared by burning previous plant material periodically, and allowing the beargrass to grow in a rich and non-competitive
environment. It usually was harvested in late summer. To use, the leaves were soaked and, for fine work, split.
Maidenhair Fern
Harvested when mature, the fern is common from the coast to inland and was used by all the NW tribes. The stems have a
shiny black outer skin which was removed by either pounding the fresh stems with rocks or by splitting the stems; then removing the insides, then coiling the skins for storage. When used, the material was soaked, split to the desired diameter and shaped.
Woodwardia Fern or Giant Chain Fern inner stem strands
This is a large woodland forest fern harvested in Fall or Winter. The stems are pounded, separating the inner strands from the outer husks. The husk is discarded; the inner strands are then dyed red with the inner bark of the White Alder tree. The fern material is never used un-dyed. There are two methods of dying the fern strands: the first is for the weaver to chew the alder bark, which turns the saliva red, and then the fern strands are passed through the mouth until the color is transferred; the second is to pound the inner alder bark into a powder, then to boil it, or to seep it in cold water, then soak the fern. It is said that the mouth dying process yields a more even and solid dye. The dyed material is then dried, stored, then soaked just before using to make a basket.
*It is important to note that the Karuk use the alder dyed fern in the more extensively than any other Northern California tribe, especially as a background color.
Dyes
White alder: as described above, the inner bark yields a brick red dye which is transferred either through chewing and passing the material through the mouth, or by pounding into a powder and then boiling or leeching with the weft material.
Wolf Moss: Yellow tree lichen used to dye bear grass or porcupine quills.
Woka pod husks were used by the Klamath to dye tule black.
Black Mud: Iron rich mud was widely used throughout California to dye material black. It was common to add rusty nails and iron to strengthen the mud dye. Note that sometimes this dye ran.
