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If you decide to try your hand at cedar bark weaving at a special upcoming workshop at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre next weekend, it’s almost guaranteed your first effort will turn out better than the first basket that workshop leader Melvin Williams made when he was 18.
Williams, a member of the Lil’wat Nation, decided to make his first attempt at cedar weaving with no guidance or instruction. The first basket he made “turned out really bad,” he said. He soon realized that he forgot the step of soaking the cedar bark in water before weaving, and his next basket was perfect.
That process of trial and error continued as Williams taught himself to weave hats and other items with cedar bark, and he made just about every mistake there was to make. But it’s that understanding of why things need to be done a certain way that has helped make Williams a good teacher of First Nations cedar weaving practices.
“I had to make every mistake — and understand why it was a mistake — before I let myself teach,” he said.
An accomplished wool and cedar weaver, Williams continues to make belts, hats and capes, and he designed a six-foot by six-foot cedar mat that’s on display at the cultural centre in Whistler.
Williams has been passing on his skills for about 15 years, and he’s preparing to teach a group at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre on Aug. 15.
During the three-hour workshop he’ll teach participants the two basic weaves that are needed for just about any cedar project. Workshop participants will make their own baskets during the workshop, which they can take home.
“You can make anything after that if you know these two weaves,” Williams said.
The workshop also includes a video about harvesting cedar bark, and Williams will talk about his weaving background and show samples of his work. Participants will have the chance to see his first “terrible” basket, which he has kept all these years and brings to show when he teaches.
The traditional weaving methods of the Lil’wat people were also used by other First Nations along the west coast of B.C. and the U.S., he said. But even though the weaves and techniques might be the same, an individual can create different-looking baskets and other items by how they hold and pull the cedar strips, and how tightly they weave them.
Learn more about the practice of cedar weaving, and learn to create your own basket at the Lil’wat cedar weaving workshop on Aug. 15 at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre. The cost is $65 per person and pre-registration is required. Call (604) 964-0990 or email events@slcc.ca to reserve a spot.
Other upcoming special events at the centre include a two-day Salish wool weaving workshop on Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 8 and 9), an aboriginal cooking course and lunch on Aug. 20, and a bannock-making workshop on Aug. 22.
The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre is open daily for regular visitation, featuring new outdoor exhibits and an interpretive forest walk. As a summer bonus, admission is by donation on Sundays through August.
