Linda Yamane
Artist Statement
My artwork is rooted in the traditions and cultural practices of my Ohlone ancestors. Using natural materials found on California’s central coast, I make utilitarian and ceremonial baskets, dance regalia, tule reed boats, and a variety of day-to-day items using ancient technologies not widely practiced today. I spend much of my life on the land—harvesting the necessary plants, digging for roots, foraging for certain shells and feathers, and bridging the past with the present.
Linda Yamane is an Ohlone artist and tribal scholar who lives in the Monterey area, the homeland of her Rumsen Ohlone ancestors. She is most known for bringing back the lost art of Ohlone basketmaking, and her artworks can be seen at numerous Bay Area interpretive exhibits – including Land’s End, San Francisco Presidio’s Officers Club & Presidio Visitor Center, Oakland Museum of California, Sanchez Adobe Interpretive Center in Pacifica, and Santa Clara University’s deSaisset Museum.
Artist Recommended Resources
- Watch: Basketry: An Art That Lives Across Generations (KCET)
- Watch: International Wood Culture Society, Ohlone Basket Weaver – Linda Yamane
- Watch: LAIR Virtual: Linda Yamane & Susanne Takehara, Weaving Past & Present
- Watch: California Institute for Community, Art and Nature: California Native Ways festival presentation by Linda Yamane