A Song to the Creator : Traditional Arts of Native American Women of the Plateau. This item is unavailable.A Song to the Creator : Traditional Arts of Native American Women of the Plateau

The Plateau culture area lies between the Rocky Mountains on the east and the Cascade Mountains on the west and includes parts of Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia. Among the Native American peoples there, the women's economic role of food gathering was traditionally considered so important that their status was equal to that of men. A woman's most important role, that of teacher and tradition bearer, was attained as a result of life experience for which she was honored as an elder.
While young women gathered and prepared food, bore children, and managed the family's resources, they also developed their individual artistic skills. As they grew older and became grandmothers, they were responsible for teaching their grandchildren traditional values and beliefs through stories and songs and helping them, in turn, to learn artistic techniques. Present-day Plateau women continue to be tradition bearers within the arts, sometimes also incorporating contemporary elements into their work.

This companion volume for a current exhibition at the Museum of Art at Washington State University is an overview of Native American crafts and the people who perpetuate their tradition in the Plateau region of eastern Washington and southwest Canada. Crafts included are storytelling, basketry, hideworking, ornament (embroidery, beading, quillwork), and music. The focus is on the women who make these items. In these fresh and varied accounts, the spirit of the women's culture is intrinsic, demonstrating respect for the old ways, a religious significance to using the things of the earth, and a feeling of pride in carrying on traditions. Influences from the Northwest Coast, the Plains, and Canadian tribes are evident in the work, but the amalgam of cultures has produced unique items and a lasting tradition. This well-illustrated collection is recommended for regional and subject collections.?Gay Neale, Southside Virginia Community Coll., Alberta
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