Re-Awakening Ancient Salish Sea Basketry: Fifty Years of Basketry Studies in Culture and Science traces the evolution of traditional basketmaking on the Northwest Coast of North America from thousands of years ago to contemporary times and is now available worldwide on: Amazon

The book is the result of a collaboration between Mr. Ed Carriere, Suquamish Elder and Master Basketmaker, and Dr. Dale Croes, Northwest archaeologist specializing in ancient basketry and excavation of Northwest Coast waterlogged sites (also known as “wet sites”). Both men have spent over 50 years of their lives exploring their mutual interest in the art of basketry. Re-Awakening Ancient Salish Sea Basketry explores the lives of these two basketry specialists; describes their analyses of the 2,000-year-old basketry collection from the Biderbost wet-site, Snoqualmie Tribal Territory, currently housed at the University of Washington Burke Museum Archaeology Program; describes their development of Generationally-Linked Archaeology, a new approach that connects contemporary cultural specialists with ancient and ancestral specialists through collaboration with archaeologists; and details the sharing of their efforts with cultural audiences, such as the Northwest Native American Basketweavers Association, and scientific audiences, such as the annual Northwest Anthropological Conference.

The book concludes with the authors’ reflection on the contributions that ancient sites and artifacts can make to community cultural perpetuation efforts.

A great short video of Ed Carriere making his traditional clam baskets can be seen on his Author’s Page: Ed Carriere

by Mary-Lou E. Florian

Mary-Lou Florian,  Emerita Conservation Scientist, Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, B.C. Canada, has generous provided us a link to the chapter’s of her important and well illustrated new contribution: her lifetime work on plant identification with a study of comparative anatomy and conservation concerns for wet/wetland site and ethnographic wood and fiber artifacts.

The book deals with the comparative anatomy of the tissues of the bark, phloem, heartwood, sapwood, and pith in wood, branches, and roots of woody shrubs, hardwood trees and softwood coniferous trees, that were reported to be used historically in making ethnographic and archaeological artifacts. The species researched in this book are endemic to Northwest Coast of North America. The species used in the following chapters have anatomical characteristics that are also common in other genera in the same family. Even though the book is on species in the NW Coast of Canada , the information is applicable to tree genera in similar latitudinal environments in Canada, USA, Europe and Asia.

I am pleased we can almost immediately provide this new release to NewsWARP researchers throughout the world and make sure Mary-Lou’s monumental work can be used to assist with plant identification and conservation work that is so important and fundamental to wet/wetland artifact research.

You can download chapters of the entire book at this web site:  Comparative Anatomy of Branches, Roots, and Wood….

Scroll down and click on menu “Download” to find all the chapters.

NEW BOOK:  Ozette: Excavating a Makah Whaling Village

By Ruth Kirk, Author

The first comprehensive book on the history and research at the Ozette Village site investigations is now released.  Author Ruth Kirk does an excellent job synthesizing all the details of the field work, discovery of preserved wet site houses under a mudslide, developing the fieldwork strategies and logistics for year-round operations and the considerable research accomplished concerning this massive Northwest Coast of North America wet site undertaking.  A must read to understand the work done on this major wet site.

Here are some of the comments about this book:

UW Press: Ruth Kirk was present, documenting the archaeological work from its beginning, and her firsthand knowledge of the people and efforts involved enrich her compelling story of discovery, fieldwork, and deepen our understanding of Makah cultural heritage.

Anything Ruth Kirk writes I will devoutly read, and to have her paired with the dramatic story of the Ozette dig is a decided pleasure. No writer is more qualified, nor more dedicated, to the telling of this enticing archeological tale. – Ivan Doig, author of Winter Brothers

Makahs worked with ‘Doc’ Daugherty and Ruth Kirk for more than 45 years and we have been greatly anticipating the completion this book. As Makahs, we know the beauty and strength of Ozette and now the rest of the world can too! – Janine Ledford, Executive Director, Makah Cultural and Research Center

   This book is an inspiration, just like ‘Doc’ Daugherty and his crew inspired us all at the Ozette Village site. We will never understand our future until we better understand the past and Ozette helps us do just that.
– Ralph Munro, Washington Secretary of State 1980-2001

Ozette: Excavating a Makah Whaling Village will be highly popular among both professionals in anthropology and members of the interested public. This truly is one of her best writings and a synthesis as only Ruth Kirk could write. – Dale R. Croes, Ph.D., Washington State University and Director of the Pacific Northwest Archaeological Society

Google this title and obtain a copy through internet services.  Great to see this general synthesis of a major wet site undertaking.