As Grandmother Taught: Women, Tradition and Plateau Art

The art of the indigenous cultures of the Columbia River Plateau region reflects traditional lifeways borne of an ancient and interdependent relationship with the natural world. Women of the Plateau tribes are keepers of culture, creating traditional art forms using time-perfected techniques passed on over generations. The exhibition celebrates the work of three Plateau women alongside historic material from the museum’s permanent collection, associating the makers and their work with traditional forms and, linking the past to the present.

Visitors will see coiled and twined basketry and beaded hats, pouches, bags, dolls, horse regalia, baby boards, and dresses alongside vintage photos of Plateau women wearing or alongside their traditional, handmade clothing and objects.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website