| Folk Arts - Master Artist - Lillian PullenLillian Pullen was a traditional basket maker and teacher from La Push, located on the Pacific Coast of the Olympic Peninsula. Until her recent death, she was one of the few remaining Quileute basket makers. She wove her baskets from cedar bark and grasses. She gathered and prepared her materials using traditional methods that protected the environment—the bark was harvested in a non-damaging manner and did not get 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 had 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.
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.
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