ME-WUK WOMAN CARRIES ON TRADITION

September 20, 2007

By REBECCA HOWES

The Union Democrat

Intricately woven traditions, like basketry, have been handed down through generations to Tuolumne Me-Wuk Jennifer Bates, who now keeps her Indian heritage and customs alive by teaching others.

"I have basket weavers throughout my family," Bates said. "I can trace my great-great-great-great-grandmother. Some of the baskets are on display in museums."

Bates, 56, a resident of the Tuolumne Rancheria, will share her vast knowledge of Me-Wuk history and basketry at the Tuolumne County Library in Sonora at 7 p.m. on Sept. 28.

The word Me-Wuk — also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wok, or Miwok — means "people," in their native language and there are four subgroups — Valley and Sierra Me-Wuk, Coast Me-Wuk, Lake Me-Wuk and Bay Me-Wuk.

Tuolumne Me-Wuk are part of the first subgroup and were generally a hunting and gathering people who built teepee-like homes called umachas, which were made from pine poles, grapevines, and cedar bark.

Bates is one of the founding members of the California Indian Basket-weavers Association and began weaving traditional Me-Wuk Indian baskets at age 17.

She learned about basketry from her grandmother and tribal elders, but for the most part was self-taught.

"When it comes to making a basket, it helps to look at old baskets," she said. "I like to use willow, big leaf maple, bracken fern, red bud and deer grass."

Bates has taught and mentored many on the intricacies of starting and stitching classic Me-Wuk patterns and styles of baskets.

Traditional Me-Wuk baskets are both twined and coiled and were used for a variety of things ranging from sifting acorn meal, storing seeds and dry goods like acorns.

Additionally, coiled Me-Wuk basketry was used for boiling — aided by the use of heated stones — serving, and for parching meal or seeds by shaking them with intermixed embers.