Knitting and Weaving in the Land of the Coast Salish

If you have 52 minutes, I recommend this fine film which was released in 2000 by the National Film Board of Canada. If you don't have 52 minutes, watch from about 40:15 to 44:28.  That footage was filmed on location at the Lummi Nation.

Bellingham is side-by-side with the Lummi Nation, home to 2,114 people of solely Native American heritage, many of whom are of Coast Salish heritage. A Lummi friend of mine, who teaches at Northwest Indian College, travels with family members to other Coast Salish reservations where they are vendors for events on weekends.  Her sisters knit Cowichan sweaters and other items.

Take a look at the woven cedar mortarboards that are worn by this year's graduates of the Lummi Nation School and look for the traditional cedar bark hats worn by family and friends who have come to celebrate the graduates.