Ever speculate why those cedar baskets are expensive to buy? They are HAND PREPARED right from the start to finish. There is no such thing as a ‘paint-by-number’ kit. These creations come straight from the trees and not your local craft store. This type of artistry is to be appreciated: the time consuming labor and hard work the artist has put into each piece he/she makes. Cedar roots are usually for baskets, while cedar bark, less complicated is used for robes, hats, capes and some baskets.Cedar bark repels water and protects the wearer from rain

Cedar Root

Cedar roots are gathered near a river bank or creek bed, where the roots are more pliable. They are harvested at a certain time of the year. The roots are then brought home and split, to a more workable thickness. Weavers will sort through and use only the straightest for weaving with. The other parts of the root will be used as filler. Salish basket makers are specialists in coiled root basketry, and often use strips of natural red and black-dyed bitter cherry bark to decorate with. If a weaver chooses to put designs on a basket they will use these types of bark. The ‘red’ design is the cherry bark. If the color is ‘black’, the bark has been buried in the ground for over a year. These pieces, both the red and black, are woven around a stick to ensure that the rows are even in height and width

Cedar Bark

While some artists prefer to make their baskets with cedar root (interior Salish), cedar bark is less complex to work with. But it can be also used for baskets.Cedar bark is harvested in late spring, early summer. For the harvester to strip the bark from the tree, a horizontal cut is made in the bark, several feet from the ground, about a third of the circumference of the tree. The harvester will insert an adze under all the layers of bark and slowly, taking care not to split it, pull it upward and outward until it comes free of the tree leaving a long V-shaped scar. Then the soft, pliable inner bark is separated from the brittle outer bark, rolled up, sap side in, and hung up to dry for later use. While rolled up, it will be stored for a year before any further processing takes place. Once cedar bark has been stored, it is soaked in water for a period of three days. Preparation of yellow-cedar bark is more time consuming: it has to be soaked and boiled to remove the pitch and then stripped (into the width that the weaver needs) and thinned (to a workable thickness for a specific project). Woven robes, hats, and capes are made from the fine, soft yellow-cedar bark. There are different styles of weaving depending on the artist's ability, and the teachings the weaver has received. Cedar bark has been embellished with raffia, sweet grass, natural and dyed bear grass, and shells. The following cedar bark hat (middle pic) was made by Coast Salish Weaver Marcie Baker, West Vancouver, B.C.; grandaughter of Late Margaret Lester of Lil'Wat Nation, Mount Currie, B.C. 

 <- cedar root  <- cedar bark  <- Margaret Lester, Lil'Wat Nation (1921 - 2006)

the small square one in centre is cedar bark, the rest cedar root

Purse with cell phone holder(cedar bark) Heart (cedar root by M. Lester)  Cedar Bark candle sticks w. votive holder.

Purse weaver & candle stick,voltive holder: Marcie Baker, Squamish Nation, B.C.

Fake or Real?

There are counterfeit ones out there, so be careful. Do some research before bidding on that “beautiful original, don’t know where it came from” basket. Do comparison shopping. Watch for bogus sellers. Armed with this knowledge, you should be able to add some wonderful cedar pieces to your collection which, overtime, will unquestionably become more valuable with age.

Regardless of whether you collect Cedar bark or Cedar root, both need to be cared for: every second year, wet the entire basket or item with cool water. I've used my kitchen spray arm or the bathtub. Let air dry. This is important as time tends to take a toll on these masterpieces by turning the cedar brittle. Wetting will help preserve them for years to come. Enjoy!

Thank you for reading my guide about cedar baskets and cedar art. If you feel that I have helped you in some way,  PLEASE VOTE 'YES'.   

Thank you and Happy Bidding, Your friend, genealogynahanee