Valea Higheagle, Chehalis Tribe grew up learning art by participating in family gatherings, Inter-tribal basketry events, and the yearly Evergreen State College Generations Rising: Tribal Youth/Make Art Day. It wasn’t long before she was a youth curator, a youth teacher, and a youth voice for planning the Generations Rising event. Valea helped paint, sew, bead, highlighted plant medicine to make salves, and unique weaving projects. Observant and willing to challenge herself to make contemporary woven projects – she designed with her great-aunt Trudy Marcellay, a contemporary cedar hat. Valea was the featured twirler at WSU and inevitably after games would wear something she had designed and woven to show her craft – a true master weaver!
Statement: I like weaving because after working in health spa management, I’m ready to focus on weaving something using materials I have gathered during the summer. Traditional hats and contemporary hats draw me – the realm of moving cedar to contemporary fashion challenges me and I feel accomplished when I finish cedar jewelry, barrettes, hair ties, visors, and all styles of cedar hats. Pre-covid is when I started making contemporary hats and during covid I had time to spend creatively weaving cedar. Perhaps a style show showing how I can create contemporary weaving out of an ages old technique is in my future! I know my great-grandmother – Hazel Pete – would say “Do it!” Another saying of hers when we would finish a project – “Now weave ten!”
