Beverly Cantrell Banuelos
Pit River Nation Cradleboard Basketry
Cradleboard-making is essential to transmit cultural beliefs and traditions to our family and community. It… tells a story of where you are from, who you are a family member of… It contributes to a sense of belonging and identity.” – Beverly Cantrell Banuelos
Beverly Cantrell Banuelos is Shoshone, Pit River Atsugewi, and Wintun and comes from a multigenerational family of basket makers from the Atsugewi people. She is the granddaughter of Lillian Snooks (Ka-rak-a-mino), from whom she learned the essentials of basket making from a very early age.
The National Park Service at Lassen Volcanic National Park writes of Beverly’s paternal grandmother: “Lillian Bernice Snooks was at the forefront of the late-twentieth-century campaign to preserve Atsugewi culture and traditions. She was part of an extended family of women who pursued this work at Lassen Volcanic National Park and other sites in a concerted effort to reject the U.S. assimilation campaigns that they had endured as children.”
Lillian’s sister, Laverna Jenkins—Beverly’s great-aunt—and Beverly’s grandmother learned basket making from their aunt, Beverly’s great-great-aunt Boo-noo-koo-ee-menorra, also known as Selena LaMarr. Each of these women is an icon in the preservation of Atsugewi culture, traditions, and weaving. These women have all crossed over, and Beverly’s inclusion as a mentor through the Alliance for California Traditional Arts would strongly reinforce the continuation of this art.
Beverly has dedicated herself to the art of weaving and has created baby baskets for multiple children and grandchildren, as well as extended family members. She has expressed a desire to share her knowledge with those interested in learning this multifaceted art form.
Beverly’s maternal grandmother, Naomi Ramona Premo Mason, is Western Shoshone and a native Shoshone speaker. She strongly supports Beverly’s commitment to and development as a basket maker. Beverly has multiple family members who would endorse and encourage her participation in this program and the broader opportunity to share her generational legacy and skills.
Collective traditional wisdom is paramount to Beverly’s approach to her work. She gathers and prepares materials with traditional care and respect, and her approach to and reverence for long-held traditions would benefit from the practical encouragement and support of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts.
Apprenticeship Program
2026
Pit River Cradleboard Making
with apprentice Miya Banuelos
Miya Banuelos (Pit River/Atsugewi Band) will learn from her mother, Beverly Cantrell Banuelos, the multigenerational tradition of Pit River cradle board making passed down through their family. The apprenticeship will focus on gathering and preparing natural materials with traditional care and respect, learning the weaving and construction techniques used to create cradle boards, and understanding the cultural knowledge connected to this practice. Through this mentorship, Miya will deepen her connection to her family’s generational legacy and help carry forward the skills, traditions, and collective wisdom preserved by Beverly and the women in their family before her.
2023
Cantrell will guide and Taweah Garcia in increasing her traditional knowledge, to carry forward their culture. With good intentions for all aspects of the project, they will gather cradleboard materials in person, prepare willows, and make designs that are unique to their tribe. Ultimately, they will complete a cradleboard.
