Re-Awakening Ancient Salish Sea Basketry: Fifty Years of Basketry Studies in Culture and Science

“Generationally-Linked Archaeology,” an article highlighting Ed and Dale’s collaborative efforts, was published as the lead-off article in the SAA Archaeological Record November 2018 issue. The work between “Dale Croes and colleagues proposes nothing less than a new paradigm for collaborative partnerships between indigenous groups and archaeologists.” –Anna Marie Prentiss, SAA Archaeological Record, Editor’s Corner, November 2018

"Re-Awakening Ancient Salish Sea Basketry: Fifty Years of Basketry Studies in Culture and Science is an innovative contribution to the literature on both the collaborative experience and Northwest Coast basketry. Written in language that is as free of jargon as possible when dealing with a highly technical subject, and with short, summary introductions to each section, it offers a clear and comprehensible narrative without downplaying the technical complexity of basketry construction and analysis from either the Suquamish or archaeological perspectives. The book is accessible to readers who do not necessarily have training in either basketry or archaeology. Clear photographs of the technical processes demonstrated by Carriere and diagrams of both the specific basketry techniques involved and the broader relationships among the wet sites proposed by Croes supplement the text." -Andrea Laforet, bcbooklook.com

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. The book is the result of a collaboration between Mr. Ed Carriere, Suquamish Elder and Master Basketmaker, and Dr. Dale R. 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.

The book 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.

In July 2022, in part because of his replication of ancient Salish Sea archaeological basketry, Ed Carriere was awarded the Native-based Community Spirit Award by the First Peoples Fund, honoring artists who embody their People's cultural assets in their creations and their way of life. In March of 2023, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) honored him as one of its 2023 National Heritage Fellows, recipients of our nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. In February 2023, reflecting the science side of the work, Carriere and Croes were awarded the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) Award for Excellence in Archaeological Analysis, demonstrating their synergy of culture and science produces much more than either one does separately. In recognition of these national awards, their book is now issued as a special hard cover edition by JONA. To learn more, please visit the JONA Spotlight page at: https://www.northwestanthropology.com/spotlight/ed-carriere-nea-fellow.

Dale R. Croes received his B.A. in anthropology from the University of Washington (UW) and his M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology at Washington State University (WSU). He did his Ph.D. dissertation research on basketry and cordage artifacts from the Ozette Village wet site; conducted post-doctoral research with the Makah Tribal Nation at the Hoko River wet site and Hoko Rockshelter shell midden; directed first-ever archaeological excavations at the National Historic Landmark wet site of Sunken Village with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indians; and co-directed excavations of the Qwu?gwes wet and dry site with the Squaxin Island Tribe. He is currently working with Ed Carriere, Suquamish Elder and Master Basketmaker in writing Memoir 15 for the Journal of Northwest Anthropology, highlighting their work to analyze and replicate 2,000 year old Biderbost wet site basketry housed at the UW Burke Museum. They call their work Generationally-Linked Archaeology.

Ed Carriere is a Suquamish Elder and Master Basketmaker. He has been making baskets since he was 14 years old, having learned the skill from his great grandmother. Basketmaking fell by the wayside when his great grandmother passed. He returned to the craft nearly 10 years later. He since learned to make a wide variety of baskets. He mostly uses western red cedar bark, limbs, and roots to make coil baskets, straight and crossed warp clam baskets, clothing, and hats. In 2004 he met Dale Croes and since they have worked together to revitalize lost basketmaking techniques.