Weaving and Quilting
©Linda Allen 1989

1st voice:
My grandmother's hands wove the cedar and bear grass
Into this fine basket I hold in my hands
To hold bitter roots, camas, fern, tiger lilly
Blackberries, cranberries - gifts from the land

My great-grandma Towsalee passed on her knowledge
To her daughter Sally - she was only six then
Our tribes own designs such as Salmon Gill, Trail of Eel,
Flowers for women and deer for the men

2nd voice:
My grandmother's hands worked with bright colored fabrics
Taken from dresses I wore long ago
With strong cotton thread and the finest of needles
Weaving my memories in patterns she'd sew

My great grandma Eleanor passed on her knowledge
To her daughter Susan when she was just nine
Lone Star, Log Cabin, the sweet Rose of Sharon
Basket, Medallion - her favorite designs

Chorus: (Round-Both voices)
Salmon Gill, Trail of Eel, Flowers and Deer
Bringing the lives of our ancestors near
Lone Star, Log Cabin, Basket design
Weaving and Quilting, our stories entwine

Notes:
This song was inspired by oral interviews with women of the
Klickitat tribe who described their basketweaving traditions.
The idea had also come up during a songwriting workshop I did
with members of the Lummi tribe. A Centennial collection of
Washington women's quilts gave me the quilt names.