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Ardith Read

Ardith Read
Native Basket Weaver
I feel there is a very good connection for me here.

Ardith Read is a Miwok Native American  who participates in the Tending and Gathering Garden Program at the Cache Creek Nature Preserve. During this interview Ardith takes the time to share her thoughts on the  Preserve and the tradition of basket weaving. She explains how important the materials found at the Preserve are to basketry and describes how the Conservancy has offered her the opportunity to not only gather materials but to also teach a class in basketry.

 

Please tell us  your name and your relationship to this place.

My name is Ardith Read, and I have been coming here for quite a while, mainly for the materials. I am a weaver, an artist, a sculptor, and a painter also. My connection here is basically through being able to obtain the materials that I need. Sometimes it’s very hard to gather materials because we need to have permits and various things to go into other places. But the Preserve has been open to us, and I really feel that it is  a very good connection for me.

Could you describe  an activity that you have been involved in here, or maybe about your participation with the Tending and Gathering Garden?

Well, the people here have asked me to do classes, and I’ve done classes using  various materials that are on the property, like the tule. I’ve used other materials, like willow, and recently I decided that I was going to do a class in natural dyes that I’m going to be collecting from here.

So in terms of continuing native basket weaving traditions, what would you say is key to education in that sense?

Learning  the various things that you need to do to be a basket weaver are really important. Many times when I’m teaching a class, young people come in thinking that it’s something easy and they can learn quickly, but it’s not. You have to have a very good understanding of when to gather. It’s all seasonal, so you have to know what  it’s going to look like, and if it’s the right time. Every place is different. Here you might gather at a certain time, and then later on in the higher countries, you  gather at another time. You have to almost be a botanist to understand the plants. I find that a lot of young people come in thinking that I’m going to serve them and that they’re not going to have to do anything except sit there and weave. But what I do is to make sure that they go out and gather,  and look at the plants to see that they recognize them, especially willow, because that’s the basis of all our— pretty much all—our basket weaving. I want students to understand all the things that they have to do. I lose a lot of young weavers because of that. But some of them hang in there.

In your opinion why is the Tending and Gathering Garden  important?

Well, there are a lot of parts of the Preserve, especially here, that have been re-planted with sedge, and they are tending the willow, and they’ve got the red bud. These are all plants that we as native people have used for centuries. My people are from the Yosemite Valley; I’m a Miwok, a Southern Sierra Miwok. We use things that are in our particular environment--whatever is there-- and it amazes me that so many of the old ancestors learned all these things. I will always wonder how long it took them to really adapt and to understand the uses of the materials. Some of these things are for food, dye, and weaving material, and some are for medicine. How they were able to determine all these things is amazing to me.

Why is the tending and gathering important in a broad community sense?

So many people walk past these materials and don’t even realize what they are and how they can be used. I’m hoping this is a good place where people can learn to preserve all these things. When we tend our plants they are like part of us, because we want to come back to that same area and be able to collect again. So we take care, and this is a place where they really care about what is grown here and how much is taken and who’s here. So, I think this is a good place where they are really educating people about the importance of preservation.

In the context of gathering in the appropriate season and at the appropriate time, how does that enhance your sense of community when you’re working with the community? Or maybe you can describe what the community looks like in terms of the Tending and Gathering Garden: Who’s out there? How does it make you feel connected to each other and the land?

I teach weaving, and I bring my class out here occasionally.  They are usually young women who are interested in weaving. I feel that they are more connected and have a better idea of what their ancestors were involved in, and how much work it was for women, because women did all of the work. And this place kind of gives them a view of what happens, what the process is in collecting and using plants to make whatever projects they are working on. I like this area. All of the staff that work here are all working very hard to make it  easy for the people who  want to use this place. They are very welcoming.

What impact has the  Nature Preserve had on you or others that you know?

It has made a lot of  materials available that I was having problems getting because you have to ask permission. Sometimes people will let you on their property, sometimes not.  So this place makes it  easier for us to gather. I don’t gather everything here, but I do use a lot of the redbud.

From your perspective, what is the future for the Tending and Gathering Garden here at the Preserve?

This is just a start. If they keep working on additional types of plants that will grow here, they are heading in a very good direction.

Any other thoughts or experiences you would like to share about the Tending and Gathering Garden and/or the Preserve?

 I just have to repeat that it’s been a good experience. They allow me to teach little ones, little kids, and we made bracelets. I really like being able to have children come out to the Preserve, so they can realize what these things are used for, all these plants. I try to give a pretty broad idea of all the materials that are used. Some of these things are medicine.  I try to give that information. Kids nowadays are so enthusiastic, and it’s great that there is a place for these things, where children can come and learn these things and realize that plants are not just weeds, they are important to us. Like the tule, for example: they clean the water in that little lake out there and are edible, and they are also used for basketry. There are so many things that people should know and these things are not just things to mow over!

Thank you so much.

Written by: 
Juan Jose Hernandez
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