North Lake Tahoe: Indian culture on display at basket-makers event

Native Americans will be weaving baskets from pine needles, making bows and arrows and cooking “acorn soup” in handmade baskets this weekend at the 10th Basketweavers Gathering in Tahoe City, Calif.

The event brings together weavers from various tribes who come to make, trade and sell their baskets at the Gatekeeper’s Museum.

Visitors can spend the weekend learning about the artistry and importance of baskets in day-to-day Indian life and in ceremonial events. The museum itself has a collection of more than 900 baskets made by 80 North American tribes.

The gathering begins at 9 a.m. Saturday with a demonstration of basket-making with pine needles followed by traditional dances by the Eagle Wing Dance Group, with Washoe, Paiute and Shoshone members, and a presentation called “From Nuts to Soup,” which shows how California’s Indians harvested and prepared acorns from native trees.

At lunchtime, elders from the Washoe tribe, whose ancestors lived in the Tahoe City area 10,000 years ago, will tell stories that have been handed down from generation to generation, followed by a second basket demonstration, Shoshone style.

The basket market continues on Sunday. A $5 donation per person is suggested for admission, which includes entrance to the museum.

“The Basketweavers Gathering presents a rare occasion to gather together with master weavers and artisans from multiple tribes,” the museum’s executive director Marguerite Sprague says in a statement. “It’s an important opportunity to listen and learn about indigenous American history and culture.”

Info: Gatekeeper’s Museum, 130 W. Lake Blvd.; (530) 583-1762

Mary.Forgione@latimes.com
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