Northern California Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Alliance for California Traditional Arts

The far northern region of California (Humboldt and Siskoyou Counties) is the homeland of the Hupa and Karuk tribes, who have been vigilant in sustaining cultural practices related to a mode of life to which the Klamath tributary is central. Ritual and ceremony of renewal continue to be integrated in…

Basket weaving was once an everyday skill used by the Native peoples of Northern California. Today, basketry has become a highly specialized art form with a limited number of tribal people who possess the skill and knowledge the gather materials, process those materials, and create a living basket. Baskets are…

The Nor Rel Muk Wintu Nation’s traditional homeland lies in the headwaters of the South Fork of the Trinity River, in Trinity County, California. Approximately half of the tribe’s 1,000 members still live near their ancestral lands in Trinity and Shasta Counties. Nor Rel Muk Wintu members from across the…

Wilverna Reece (Karuk) has been weaving baskets since 1978. She was taught by Karuk tribal elders Grace and Madeline Davis in Happy Camp, California. Wilverna is proficient in the skills and knowledge needed to weave many types of Karuk baskets, and has been teaching weaving to community members since 1983.

Traditional Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk Baby Basket Weaving

Hoopa and Yurok Traditional Arts

The Table Bluff Reservation, home to the Wiyot Tribe and its Heritage Center, is situated in rural northern California on the bluffs of the Pacific Ocean at the southern end of Humboldt Bay. The history of the Wiyot people is often tragic as they were among…