From a Square to a Circle: Haida Basketry—Delores Churchill’s Memories of Learning to Weave

Delores Churchill, Haida weaver, shares the stories of her life, her culture, and the importance of passing cultural knowledge from one generation to the next. Told with humility, humour, and deep respect, From a Square to a Circle is a testament to the values of her people, a technical guide to her masterful weaving skills, and a gift to the reader at every point along her journey.

This book shines light on Delores’s weaving teachers, including her strong-minded mother Selina (Ilst’aayaa), whose teachings Delores once resisted as a child. The Haida are connected to weaving through their history, which goes back thousands of years ago as shown through discoveries like the 4,000-year-old baskets at south Baranof. Her homeland of Haida Gwaii also gives her people the materials needed for weaving.

Walk with Delores as she harvests cedar bark for baskets, Selina teaching “by modelling and then leaving the learner to imitate.” Learn the weaving harvest and preparation terminology. Follow the steps of how to prepare cedar bark, harvest spruce roots, and learn natural dye recipes. Photos and diagrams are visual aids that accompany the steps to Haida weaving techniques and instructions.

Having passed her skills on to hundreds of people, believing that “weaving belongs to all of us,” Delores wishes to share the knowledge of basketweaving where beginners and skilled weavers are able to express their distinct selves, just as every coastal Indigenous weaving style is unique. The love for basketweaving displayed in Delores’s writing is sure to make readers yearn to try their own hand at the craft.

© 2024 Harbour Publishing (Ebook): 9781990776861

Release date

Ebook: 19 October 2024