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Collecting Spruce Roots in Yakutat

The last week of April was sunny and warm - perfect weather for the residents of Yakutat to take advantage of a visit to the community by Teri Rofkar. The Forest Service, working with the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, sponsored Ms. Rofkar’s trip to Yakutat to work with residents and students interested in the ancient Tlingit techniques of spruce root collection, processing and weaving. Spruce root baskets from Yakutat were traditionally the most highly sought after and prized by early explorers and collectors; they were truly the most exquisite of all Tlingit basketry.

Teri Rofkar is a 2004 recipient of the Governor’s Award for Alaska Native Arts and a Buffett Award finalist for Indigenous Leadership. Teri works to recapture, teach and share the woven arts using traditional methods of gathering and weaving natural materials to line the past, present and future. She is a gifted instructor, committed to sharing her knowledge of spruce root working to keep the art alive and well.

Two days were spent collecting roots at the Cannon Beach Recreational Area, a third day collecting roots at a beach at the northern end of Khantaak Island. Ms. Endicott and Ms. Pate’s 7th and 8th grade classes joined in to learn and video tape the spruce root collection process. Twenty-seven Yakutat residents joined the community event on Khantaak Island.

In the evening Judy Ramos, Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, showed a video filmed in the 1944 depicting the “Spruce root basketry of the Alaska Tlingit” where residents were filmed going to Khantaak Island, collecting, processing, and splitting spruce roots for weaving.

The roots are harvested during a short window of opportunity in the spring when they send out thin runner roots, just below the ground surface. We were taught to find these and then using an antler or garden tool, to follow the root, collecting it from source to end if possible. Snipping the end with root cutters the roots were then coiled and taken to the beach for processing. A small offering of thanks was placed in the shallow trench where the root had been removed and the trench was covered up to lessen the visual impact of the collection.

Once collected, the roots were processed at the beach by building a fire where the coiled roots were charred to loosen their outer bark. The roots were then pulled through an “ena”, a split stick driven into the ground.

After the roasting and stripping, the roots are fresh and pliable and need to be split in half. Each half was then split in half and depending on the size of the root and the skill of the worker, the root can be split again. This results in weavers, the portion of the split root displaying the rounded edge and warps, the flat portion of the split root. Teri estimates that for every hour spent collecting spruce root, it will take an additional five hours for the processing, roasting and splitting.

It is at this point that the roots are ready for weaving and Teri worked with folks that were interested in learning that process. The final product, a basket or other woven item, is a reflection of the time it takes to gather the materials and complete the project. A huge thank you to Teri Rofkar for sharing her knowledge, the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe for helping the coordinate the events, and the community of Yakutat for their enthusiastic participation of the Spruce Root Project!

For more information about Teri Rofkar and her work visit www.terirofkar.com.

USDA Forest Service - Tongass National Forest
Last Modified: April 03, 2006