Handed Down - Nevada Arts Council

1991–1992
Shoshone Baskets:
Emma Bobb, Jeanette Losh and Brenda Hooper
The Yomba Shoshone Reservation is a tiny
settlement of about 100 people in the isolated Reese
River Valley of central Nevada, 50 miles (10 paved, 40
dirt) south of Austin. Emma Bobb, at 82, is one of only
three remaining basket makers in a community where
basketry was a basic survival skill for centuries. Emma
started learning the art of willow basketry from her
mother and grandmother when she was about 8 years
old, and makes the full range of traditional basket types,
from cradleboards and pine nut winnowing trays to
coiled round baskets and pitch-coated water jugs. She
also tans buckskin, does beadwork, and makes rugs and
quilts. And as a fluent speaker of the Western Shoshone
language, she is an important link in the continuation
of her culture.
Sisters Jeanette Losh and Brenda Hooper, both in
their 30s and raising their own children, know how
fragile their native traditions are, and are determined
to learn as much as they can from the tribal elders. “We
just took it for granted because she [their great-grandmother]
was always doing it,” Jeanette explains, but
now elements of the culture like basket making are in
danger of being lost if individuals don’t take the time to
learn them. They worked with Emma to learn all they
could about basketry, starting with gathering the willows
and preparing them for use; the Reese River Valley
is blessed with plenty of water and very little settlement,
so willows are still plentiful and healthy. Brenda had
learned the basics in a school class as a youngster, but
Jeanette had never made a basket, so they started from
scratch, and both women made small doll-size cradleboards
during their apprenticeship. Jeanette especially
was glad of the chance for hands-on experience in an
art form she grew up with but never had a chance to
try. And both said the opportunity to spend time with
Emma had enriched them in other aspects of Shoshone
culture as well.
In talking about her community’s traditions, Brenda
says, “It’s like we came to a cliff and dropped everything
off, it’s all gone.” Not quite all gone, with people like
Emma still able and willing to teach what they know,
and Jeanette and Brenda eager to learn.
Brenda Hooper, Emma Bobb and Jeanette Losh.
Emma Bobb gathering willows.
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