Wichita Enjoy Learning About Basketweaving

Wichita youth, along with their chaparones, enjoyed a day of learning how to basket weave on Tuesday, June 25, 2013.  The basket weaving workshop was conducted by Rose Drake, a member of the Oklahoma Native American Basket Association.  Ms. Drake is currently doing research on Spiro Mounds basketry and creating replicas of such baskets.  Rose and two other weavers donated their time to this project.  The children enjoyed a day of making mats rather than an actual basket because of time constraints.  Gary McAdams is the Cultural Planner and organized the activity for the Cultural Programs. 

On November 9, 2013 the Wichita Cultural Education Program (WCEP) sponsored a basket weaving workshop at Oklahoma Basket Supply Company in Wellston, Oklahoma. The students attending the training were Sydney Prince, Charlie McAdams, and Micah McAdams. The instructors were Barbara Hair and Risi Thelander, members of the Oklahoma Weavers Association, who donated their time, talent and personal expenses in providing the training. The students who received the training were selected because of the aptitude they exhibited at the weaving workshop held this past June. The completed baskets represent the first baskets created by Wichita weavers in centuries. It is hoped that these students will continue to practice the art of weaving and pass on their knowledge in future workshops to be conducted by the WCEP.