There Is Always Something Happening At The Mendocino Art Center

O r i g i n a l l y ,
baskets were
primarily
utilitarian.
Baskets of
various shapes
and sizes were
used for storage,
cooking
and burden
( i n c l u d i n g
baby) carrying. Highly decorated baskets were used as
gifts or for ceremonies. Miniature baskets might be used
as a form of currency. Beginning in the late 1800’s Pomo
baskets began to be prized by wealthy American and
European collectors. In response to this new demand,
native basket makers began competing with one another
in introducing colorful and intricate designs and decorations.
The baskets thus began serving a commercial purpose,
as highly marketable works of art. By the middle
of the 20 th Century, however, the demand for art baskets
had virtually disappeared. Also, by that time, because
Pomo people had embraced – willingly or otherwise – a
more “modern” lifestyle, baskets were no longer particularly
useful. As a consequence, by the time Elsie Allen
began making baskets, in the 1950’s, basket weaving was
in danger of becoming a “lost art.”
After learning to make baskets as a young woman,
and though she continued to “gather” willow and sedge,
and other basket materials, Christine did not do any of
her own weaving for many years while she was raising
her four kids, and, she admits, raising her fair share of
hell. Out of respect for the spiritual aspect of basket
making, she refrained from practicing the art during all
those years. Everything changed, however, when her
son Jonquil was stabbed to death at a “teenage drinking
party,” in February, 1990. To cope with her anger,
and find solace from her grief, she stopped drinking,
and went back to weaving baskets. At the same time
Photo by Tom Liden, Photography
she began to dedicate herself to helping Pomo children
appreciate the richness of their cultural heritage, through
instruction in the arts of dance, language, regalia making,
and basketry. For almost twenty years she has worked
regularly as a mentor, in tribal education programs,
through local, state and federal educational programs,
and as a director of Ukiah’s School for the Performing
Arts and Cultural Education (SPACE).
In her own words: “I don’t want to leave this earth
having done nothing. Doing baskets helps me bring out
the spirituality that I keep inside me. I do baskets because
I feel chosen. They also let me make a connection with
kids. I teach basket making at Coyote Valley Reservation,
at the public elementary schools, in clean and sober classes
for at-risk kids in high school and junior high, and in
ethnic and teacher training classes at the college. We use
contemporary material – rattan – for twining because it
is easy for people to work with. If Native American kids
look like they are willing and interested, I’ll teach them
to use the traditional materials that we collect and gather
from around the county. What do the students learn?
Keeping their minds and hands working; it’s concentrating
on what your hands are doing – and remembering.”
“My father always said that we have to go along with
the world: ‘The world is moving and we have to move
right with it.’ We have to integrate what we believe into
what is happening in the world today. We can’t stay back
in the past. We have to bring it forward. There will be
changes, but we try to keep certain traditions alive and
abide by them.”
In February, 2004, Christine was honored by the
Women’s History Coalition for her outstanding contributions
to the life and culture of Mendocino County.
Christine Hamilton’s handmade baby cradle baskets may
be seen at the Grace Hudson Museum Gift Shop.
25