While growing up on a reservation in Indianola, Washington, Ed Carriere’s Great-Grandmother taught him to work with cedar-root and limb to weave clam-gathering baskets. He has been making these remarkable baskets for more than forty years. In tribute to the craftsmanship and artistry of his ancestors, Carriere has crafted a large fish-gathering basket and Salish-style canoe. In days past, native oarsmen towed baskets through the pristine waters of Puget Sound to gather the plentiful salmon.

Charles Jr. lives on the Lower Elwha Reservation near Port Angeles. He is a member of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and is a traditional carver, specializing in canoes. He grew up in a family that emphasized their Native American heritage, especially in stories and dance. Charles began carving after being inspired by the late Bill Mike, who started the canoe the Tribe used in the 1989 “Paddle to Seattle.”

Peg Deam is a weaver, graphic artist, illustrator and published author. A Suquamish Tribal member, she is a great admirer of the artistry and ingenuity of her ancestors.

Marvin E. Oliver is an internationally acclaimed artist of Quinault and Isleta-Pueblo descent. He has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Alaska since 1989, Professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Washington since 1992 and Curator of Contemporary Native American Art at the Burke Museum since 1995. His commissions are on view around the world and a number of his works are featured in corporate and museum collections, including “Orca and Baby,” a fused glass and steel sculpture for Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Betty Pasco is a Suquamish Tribal Elder and traditional basket weaver. After graduating in 1998 with a degree in museum studies from the Museum of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, she designed and installed major exhibits for a year. She has become increasingly interested in developing traditional Salish wool weaving skills. Wishing to perpetuate native art forms and other teachings of her grandmothers, she and her sisters have mentored a girls group since 2002.

After completing his B.A. at Puget Sound, Michael Pavel went on to earn a M.Ed. and Ph.D. in higher and adult education at Arizona State University. He is one of fewer than 100 American Indians to hold a tenured professorship at a major research university in the United States: Washington State University in Pullman. Yet above all credentials on his resume, Pavel lists, “tradition bearer of the Southern Puget Salish traditional culture with a focus on learning the language, traditions, rituals, history and ceremonial ways of life among the Twana and other Pacific Northwest Salish peoples.” He says, “For this I am still being trained. I will never really graduate.”

Susan Pavel honed her craft under the tutelage of a true master: Bruce (subiyay) Miller, cultural and spiritual leader of the Skokomish Nation began teacher her how to fiber weave in 1996. After three months she had produced one ceremonial blanket and was captivated by the spirit and beauty of her medium. Dedicating herself to learning the craft, she immersed herself in Coast Salish weaving for six years. Her work is a cherished feature of many private collections and can be seen in museums and galleries across the United States. She is also a teacher and holds a Ph.D.

Pete Peterson has been working as an artist for more than 30 years. He had his early beginnings working in silver and gold, but for the past twenty years has been committed to working with indigenous woods of the Pacific Northwest. His work is described as a contemporary application of Coastal Salish art with a focus on the Puget Sound region. His style, however, is unique and identifiable in the one-of-a-kind pieces he produces. He is a Master Carver whose many lifetime honors include designation as a Living Cultural Treasure by the Skokomish Tribe.

A Suquamish Tribal Council Member involved in the technical operations of Port Madison Enterprises, Santos is also a leader in many aspects of cultural tradition. In addition to involvement in community programs, she is a member of the Suquamish song and dance group, part of the cedar canoe racing circuit and a traditional carver.

Known for precisely-carved pieces celebrating the beauty of her Coast Salish heritage, Andrea Wilber-Sigo has gained wide acclaim for her work. A Squaxin Island Tribal member who is also of Skokomish descent, she is a wife, mother and professional diver. Wilber-Sigo grew up in Shelton, Washington, part of a family known for carving. She is the first woman among them to embrace the craft.