Lena Hope
Seated outside her home on Seabird Island in 1965, Lena Hope displays several baskets she was working on, her quiet pride reflecting generations of knowledge, patience, and artistry carried through daily life.
Basket weaving was a sophisticated skill passed through families and communities through observation, practice, and time spent alongside Elders. Lena learned the art from her grandmother, Mrs. James Paul of Spuzzum.
Materials traditionally used in basket weaving included red and yellow cedar bark, cedar root, and bear grass. Through intricate patterns and careful weaving techniques, baskets served both practical and cultural purposes within daily life.
The basket resting beside Lena had been intricately woven and then bestowed upon her by her grandmother, reflecting not only mastery of the art itself, but the passing of knowledge, time, and responsibility between generations. Today, that same basket continues to be carried forward by Lena’s descendants, still holding the presence, teachings, and enduring connection of the women who came before them.
In moments such as this — seated at home, hands still weaving — the strength of Coast Salish life can be seen not only in ceremony, but in the quiet continuation of everyday teachings carried through family, memory, and lived experience.