Folk Arts - Master Artist - Mary Lou Slaughter

"…it won’t be lost if I can keep passing it on to people who want to learn." Mary Lou Slaughter.

Mary Lou Slaughter was born in 1938, the great-granddaughter of Chief Sealth, the chief for whom the city of Seattle is named. She is of the Duwamish people and grew up in Manette, Washington, (now part of Bremerton) at a time when it was not well-regarded to be of Indian descent. It wasn't until her own son became a woodcarver that she began to look into and embrace her heritage, eventually deciding to take her great grandmother’s Indian name. In 1995, she took a basket weaving course from Loa Ryan, of the Tsimshisn tribe, who suggested that she study basket weaving with someone in her own tribe. Slaughter studied with Ed Carriere, and after two and a half years, he named her one of his best students.

Though Slaughter has worked with many mediums—knitting, sewing, stained glass, oil painting, woodcarving, photography and poetry writing—basket weaving is her priority. She teaches it out of her home in Port Orchard where she lives with her husband of 30 years. Through great personal effort, she has inspired a renewed pride for the unique traditions and creations of the Duwamish. By teaching Salish weaving, she continues a tradition that might otherwise be lost. She is considered by many to be a "living treasure" of the Duwamish people. Slaughter entered her first Indian Art Northwest show in Portland, Oregon, in 2000. She won First, Second, and Third place prizes.

As the recipient of a 2004 Folk Arts Apprenticeship grant, Slaughter taught apprentice DeAnn Jacobson traditional basket weaving. Jacobson, who first learned basket weaving in 2003, is dedicated to preserving her native arts and culture. She hopes to pass this art on to others.

For the profound connection she has made with her community through her art and weaving, Slaughter was awarded a Folk Arts Fellowship in 2005.

In 2008, Slaughter was awarded an additional Apprenticeship grant to work with Patricia Holyan. She will teach Holyan Salish cedar weaving for baskets and clothing. Holyan, whose previous work includes paintings and beadwork, will learn cedar weaving for the first time. As the leader of her tribal youth group, Holyan plans to share this art form with younger generations.