Pop-up Demonstration: Yurok/Karuk Basket Weaving
Wednesday 13 May 2026, 10.00 - 16.00 (with a break for lunch at 12.30 - 13.30)
Clore Balcony
Join us in the museum for a live demonstration from two expert basket weavers from the Yurok/Karuk communities in California, USA. See how some of the intricate basketry items in our museum came into being and have the opportunity to ask the expert makers questions whilst they work. Find out about the materials they use – including how they are grown, collected, and harvested by hand – and the importance of traditional basketry for communities today.
About the Makers
Margaret Lee (Maggie) Peters (Yurok/Karuk) is a traditional basket weaver and regalia maker whose work is rooted in the cultural knowledge and teachings of her family and
community. She began her weaving journey in her early twenties, learning from master weavers including Wilverna Reece, Susan Burdick, Bertha Peters, and Loren Bommelyn in Northern California. Through these relationships, she developed not only technical skill, but a way of seeing, learning to read baskets, understand their construction, and carry forward the techniques and intentions of those who came before her.
For Peters, weaving is a lifelong commitment to cultural continuity, identity, and care. She has woven over 200 baskets, with a particular focus on baby baskets (177), which hold deep cultural significance in her community. These baskets are created to cradle and protect infants, surrounding them with culture, security, and belonging from the very beginning of life. Being asked to create a baby basket is an honour she carries with great responsibility, knowing each piece will support families and connect generations to their living culture.
In addition to her work as a weaver, Peters is an educator with over 16 years of experience serving Native students and communities on the Hoopa Valley Reservation. She currently supports the development and implementation of the Native American Studies Model Curriculum through the Humboldt County Office of Education. Across all aspects of her work, she remains dedicated to sustaining Indigenous knowledge, uplifting community, and ensuring that traditional practices continue to thrive for future generations.
Karuk Tribal Member, Lisa Morehead-Hillman is an advocate for the preservation and perpetuation of cultural heritage. With a master's degree in education, she has developed and managed numerous projects for her Tribe, including the USDA NIFA-funded Karuk Agroecosystem Resilience and Cultural Foods and Fibers Revitalization Initiative. Lisa is a 2025 Community Spirit Award recipient of the First Peoples Fund recognized for her commitment to traditional ceremonial cap making and land stewardship.
Additionally, she uses her writing skills for outreach, to move policy changes, and to seek funding support for a wide variety of educational, cultural, health, and environmental programs. Knowledgeable in her Native tongue and cultural heritage, Lisa is dedicated to the preservation, propagation and perpetuation of traditional knowledge and practice. She is also a traditional basket weaver.
