I am a self-taught Ash basket weaver and member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe. In 1998, I spent a full year watching a basket being used daily, unaware of the intimate relationship that was being formed. After one year of this basket in use, the lashing around its rim broke. The strength of this natural material moved me to the point of wanting to know all I could about the qualities and characteristics of the wood, what I could do and how to weave with it. I then spent the following year raising babies and weaving one basket after another, after another, after another. One year later, I was asked to share my working knowledge with the community. I said I didn’t know anything but was told, “you know something”, and was asked to show them what I knew. So I did. Since then, I’ve been sharing my knowledge and teachings with tribes, folk schools, colleges, youth groups, school programs, skill shares and the like, traveling both nationally and internationally.

In the beginning, it was all about the finished basket. After a while, I realized that traditional teachings were showing themselves through every aspect of the work: through harvesting, processing, prepping, weaving, and finishing. A final layer, that of healing, also showed itself. Now, all of these aspects come together during the creative process of basket making.

April has received much recognition for her working knowledge of Black Ash basketry while being thought of as a patient, gentle educator.

In the past few years, April has reached beyond her usual material of choice to include studying and working with Birch, Cedar, Basswood, Cattail, various other barks…and plant dyes. These materials have found their way into baskets, mats, graduation caps, sheaths and splints. The natural world is an amazing place and there is much to learn here.