Opstad students weave cedar
May 28, 2009
By Laura Geggel
Opstad Elementary’s fourth-graders now have a handy place to put their spoons. With the help of cedar bark weaver Nancy Olson, all 96 fourth-graders made cedar bark miniature spoon bags the week of May 18.
Olson started the workshop with an assembly on her trade. Asking the students to call her “grandma,” Olson told them about her years living in Alaska. The former schoolteacher married a Lutheran minister and would boat from town to town, offering ecclesiastical and social services to people in British Columbia’s Queen Charlotte Islands.
In 1992, Olson happened upon a cedar weaving class and sat down, eager to learn. After taking many pointers from her teacher Holly Churchill, Olson found herself weaving bark in the American Indian Haida style.
The once-student is now a teacher. This is the third workshop the Port Townsend resident has led at Opstad Elementary, which her grandchildren Nate, Haley and Gretchen Chase once attended.
Just as the cedar bark strips soak in water and become flexible, Opstad students absorbed Olson’s lesson before they started their projects.
“We learned that the Native Americans had to ask permission before they pulled the bark off the cedar tree,” Samuel Houldridge said.
His classmate Thomas Graves added a fact.
“They said they would put the bark to good use and they would touch the tree,” Graves said.
Olson gathers as much bark as she can from tree mills. Sometimes, though, she will strip bark from living trees. If it is done properly, the tree will continue to grow. She cuts the bark in the spring, when the sap is traveling up the tree and the alder leaves appear.
The longest strip she ever pulled measured 42 feet.
To spice up the color, American Indians would paint their wares black, red or turquoise — a color acquired by mixing salmon eggs with plants.
“The Haida use cedar for everything,” Olson said, reeling through a mental list of containers, fishnets, rope, clothing, cradles and diapers.
During each class visit, Olson and her cadre of parent volunteers pre-soaked strips of cedar bark in containers of water. Students were given cedar strips and instructed to start weaving. Once they got a substantial pattern going, the students wrapped their materials around a wooden block that would help them mold the spoon holder.
“You keep crissing and crossing,” said fourth-grader Erica Willhight, as she wove smaller bark strips around the wooden block.
“I’m probably going to put some designs on it, like buttons or beads,” fourth-grader Kate Kirschner said.
Every so often, the students would dip the wooden block in water to keep the bark moist and flexible.
“If it gets too dry, then they snap,” Lauren Zinkan said. “You have to take the block out every once in awhile to soak it in the water.”
Most students zipped through their projects.
“It’s really fun and I think once I’m done it’ll be pretty useful,” Kian Carroll said.
Olson said weaving calmed her, and said she hoped it would equally fascinate the students.
“It’s centering for me,” Olson said. “If there’s chaos or stress in my life, I always have my weaving.”
The Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation paid the $800 grant for Olson’s time and materials. Fourth-grade teacher Karen Eddy said her students enjoyed the workshop.
“Some of my kids who struggle academically were doing the best,” Eddy said. “It’s really neat, because it shows their creativity.”
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Congratulations to Nancy Olsens fourth grade class on taking the time and patience to learn how to weave cedar in the Haida style of weaving, Nancy I commend you for teaching the children and also for spending the time to learn from Holly Churchill, She is family on my late mothers side. We are Haida from Haida Gwaii,(Queen Charlottes) My father was the late Chief Skidegate. He always expressed the importance of education to all students here on Haida Gwaii. I wish your fourth graders all the best.
Keep up the good work students
Les Collinson , Skidegate BC
do you weave ceader hats?
because if you do can you make me one or sell me one or teach me how to weave a cedar hat?