Delores Churchill Teaching Lisa LeMay Doyon Spruce Root Basketry at the Totem Heritage Center, 1981

Master weaver Delores Churchill is an eminent Haida weaver and an expert in gathering and preparing materials for cedar bark, spruce root, and Chilkat weaving. She was fortunate to learn to weave from traditional weavers whose knowledge went back thousands of years, including her mother, respected basket weaver Selina Peratrovich.

Churchill has taught basketry for over 40 years and has been honored for her role in Haida basket weaving and perpetuation of the Native arts. She has also worked as a researcher and consultant, helping identify works in museum collections. Churchill works to share her knowledge in Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian weaving styles with weavers from various Alaskan communities so the weavers can in turn take that knowledge back to their communities and teach others.

"This art of weaving is important to us because weaving connects us to our past and teaching passes it on to the future... weaving belongs to all of us."

                - Delores Churchill

Ketchikan Museums
KM 81.30.17