Mabel McKay (1907–1993) was a member of the Long Valley Cache Creek

Pomo The Pomo are an Indigenous people of California. Historical Pomo territory in Northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point. One small grou ...

Indians and was of

Patwin The Patwin (also Patween, Southern Wintu) are a band of Wintun people native to the area of Northern California. The Patwin comprise the southern branch of the Wintun group, native inhabitants of California since approximately 500 AD. The Patwi ...

descent. She was the last Dreamer of the Pomo people and was renowned for her basket weaving.

Greg Sarris Gregory Michael Sarris (born February 12, 1952) is the Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (since 1992), the Graton Rancheria Endowed Chair in Creative Writing and Native American Studies at Sonoma State University, where he t ...

published a biography of Mabel, called ''Weaving the Dream'' (University of California Press, 1997).

Life and Achievements

Mabel McKay was born on 12 January 1907 in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

Lake County, California Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,163. The county seat is Lakeport. The county takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic fe ...

. Her father was Yanta Boone (Potter Valley Pomo) and her mother was Daisy Hansen (Lolsel Cache Creek Pomo). She was raised by her grandmother, who taught her both the Long Valley Cache Creek language and how to identify and forage for medicinal plants. At the age of eight, she was guided by her dreams to weave her first basket. Her baskets grew greatly in terms of recognition, and she was featured in many newspapers as a prodigy of her craft. She began giving demonstrations in the State Indian Museum in Sacramento, refusing to sell them and only giving them as gifts. She continued with her baskets until death, and many have become prized exhibits in museums such as the Smithsonian.

Spirit

Mabel used prayer as a way of communicating to Spirit, and in return Spirit showed Mabel what to make for each person. Mabel was a well-respected scholar. She spoke at universities and served as a cultural consultant for anthropologists. She spoke at

the New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

with

Essie Parrish Essie Pinola Parrish (1902–1979), was a Kashaya Pomo spiritual leader and exponent of native traditions. She was also a notable basket weaver. Biography Parrish was born Essie Pinola in 1902 at the Stewarts Point Rancheria in Stewarts Poin ...

on March 14, 1972. As a weaver her skill and attention to detail brought worldwide recognition to her basketry. Her baskets are shown in many museum collections in the U.S. and abroad. Weaving for Mabel was a spiritual path, not a craft. She was never 'taught' to weave a basket. Instead, she was strictly instructed by Spirit as a Dreamer. Spirit also guided her in her medicinal journey, and she became a well respected healer among those in her community. She was one of the last Pomo dream doctors, and would often travel great distances to tend to her patients.

Notes

References

* Ludwig, David. 1994. ''Pomo Basketweavers: A Tribute To Three Elders''. Creative Light Production. Video. * Luthin, Herbert W. ''Surviving through the Days: Translations of Native California Stories and Songs.'' Berkeley: University of California Press. . * * Matuz, R. (1998). St. James guide to native North American artists. Detroit: St. James Press. pp. 369–370. . * Sarris, Greg. 1993. ''Keeping slug woman alive: A holistic approach to American Indian texts''. Berkeley: University of California Press. . * Sarris, Greg. 1994. ''Mabel McKay: Weaving the Dream''. Berkeley: University of California Press. . {{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, Mabel 1907 births 1993 deaths Native American basket weavers Pomo people Patwin Religious figures of the indigenous peoples of North America People from Lake County, California Artists from California 20th-century American women artists Native American women artists Women basketweavers 20th-century Native Americans 20th-century Native American women

Life and Achievements

Spirit

See also

Notes

References