Folk Arts - Master Artist - Lillian Pullen

Lillian Pullen is a traditional basket maker and teacher from La Push, located on the Pacific Coast of the Olympia Peninsula. One of the few remaining Quileute basket makers, she weaves her baskets from cedar bark and grasses. She gathers and prepares her materials using traditional methods that protect the environment, e.g. the bark is harvested in a non-damaging manner and is not wasted in the basket making process. She began making baskets at age 12, guided by the oral and visual instruction of her grandmother and other elderly tribal women. Known as "Grandma Lillian", Pullen has received widespread recognition for her accomplishments, including the 1987 Washington State National Indian Education Association Elder of the Year and the 1988 National Indian Education Association Elder of the Year. Most recently, Pullen won the 1993 Governor's Heritage Award.

As a recipient of a 1992 Apprenticeship grant, Pullen taught her daughter-in-law Eileen Penn, to weave using traditional Quileute methods and techniques. Eileen is a talented basket maker and educator in her own right.

Pullen received Washington State's highest artistic honor in 1993 as the recipient of a Governor's Heritage Award.