After graduating from Western Washington State University in 1973, accepting a teaching position at Shelton Public School, working for the Skokomish and Squaxin Tribes – Yvonne could realize bringing forward traditional basketry knowledge into classroom presentations grades K-12. It meant continuing to learn from Hazel Pete and Squaxin and Skokomish weavers. Yvonne supported Hazel Pete’s idea to offer a gathering for Tribal weavers to come together “weavers teaching weavers” and the workshops established the Hazel Pete Institute of Chehalis Basketry. Yvonne especially likes to weave with cattail and sweetgrass highlighting baskets with cedar. Yvonne’s daughters are serving as apprentices and a grand-daughter Halisa Higheagle – with Halisa – Yvonne has worked to perfect a technique to weave cedar garments specifically vests and tunics. Weavers say – don’t teach everyone the same thing because then they won’t need each other! As apprentices, they do have to try everything because demands of them to teach a particular technique will require them to recall teachings and then teach as well as learn while showing a technique.
As a teacher, Yvonne’s interests include Tribal arts and curriculum design, she says “Because mainstream teachers aren’t given tools for working with cultural differences, Native American students are often expected to change. Indian youth maintain their differences are their greatest strength. How can one culture’s teachers educate another culture’s children, without obliterating a precious heritage?” Most recently, Yvonne has worked as a master artist mentor for Native Voices working to develop place based Tribal curriculum.
Yvonne was tapped as an Indigenous Elder by the Rockefeller Spirit Aligned organization, acknowledged and celebrated for being a vessel of traditional ways and for creating a legacy of strength and resilience for Chehalis people and weaving. Yvonne Peterson “Too Nee Mu Sh” has selected sweetgrass, cattail, highlighted with cedar baskets and a woven cedar vest for the Honoring the Legacy of Hazel Pete: Chehalis Basketry gallery show.
Artist statement:
Weaving with cattail and sweetgrass and highlighting a basket with bear grass and cedar is the way I like to express myself culturally and spiritually. Taking the baskets of my ancestors and investigating the possibility of ways weavers were using materials and designs is what the fascination is for me when I attempt to reproduce a basket from Hazel Pete’s collection. The baskets I’ve selected for the gallery are circa 1970’s. I was starting my family and a teaching job with the Skokomish and Squaxin kids at their local public school and made time to weave with Hazel Pete – she brought out two baskets and said – “…because you’re a weaver, figure each one out and make it…I’m here to help if you need it!” That’s how it started – an expression of confidence by a master weaver!
