ONLINE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Sandra Eagle: Basketmaker
by Bernadette Finnerty

Sandra Eagle
Cradle Board with Baby. Willow and hide construction. 5" L X 2" W.	Cradle Board. Willow and hide construction. 5" L X 2" W
White Pheasant. Single coil willow basket adorned with metallic beading and white pheasant feathers. Miniature. 1 1/4" H X 2 1/2" W
Sandra's work ranges from baskets as small as one half inch in diameter, priced at $50; to baskets measuring five or six inches across, priced at up to $1,000. Pairs of basket earrings sell for $90.

Sandra Eagle, Paiute-Shoshone, lives and works in Pyramid Lake, Nev. As a child, she learned beading from her mother, Jeanette Eagle. She learned to collect, split and create baskets with willow from her grandmother, Adele Sampson.

She now uses traditional design for her beading and basketry, but combines these time-honored methods with her own artistic interpretations to create work that is totally unique.

Her (mostly) miniature baskets and cradleboards are made from this hand-split willow and then decorated with beadwork, feathers or shells.

While she had been selling her work sporadically over the years, it took a layoff from her job in retail last year to bring Eagle to the realization that she could make a living from her craft.

TCR: How did you first get involved in making baskets?

SE: Well, that's hard to say. My exposure to basket making and other Native American art forms extends back to my childhood. I learned beadwork and basket making from my mother and grandmother. I learned basketry through visiting with my grandmother and watching her. She was always working on something, either a cradleboard for someone in the family, or a basket of some kind. She rarely sold her work, she mostly kept it in the family.

TCR: When did you begin selling your work, and through what venues?

SE: I had done local craft shows before, and had sold some of my work through local stores and galleries, and through word of mouth. When I was laid off last year, though, I started to make and sell more, and my business has just kind of taken off. People seem to recognize my work, and sometimes they even contact me.

TCR: Who is the market for your work? How do you reach them?

SE: Anyone, really. I sell to people from all walks of life who appreciate traditional Indian basketry and beadwork. Many of my customers have seen my work in a gallery, or have heard about it through word of mouth. Sometimes they even write to me. I became involved with a Web site, http://www.nativespirits.com, through one of the gallery owners I sell through. We had become friends, and she asked me to put some of my work up for sale through the site. It has definitely gotten me some exposure. I also sell at local craft shows, and though museum stores.

I think the fact that my work has a specific style has helped me attract customers. While I use traditional techniques, the beadwork and feathers that I incorporate into my baskets are clearly identifiable as my work, and for that reason, it is appealing to certain customers who seek it out specifically.

TCR: Do you see any challenges specific to you as a traditional Indian basket maker?

SE: It is always a challenge to keep your work fresh and interesting. But I think that using traditional techniques to create a variety of artwork (beaded items, baskets, ornaments) helps me avoid burnout, and helps keep my work exciting. If you keep coming back to do a show every year with the same work, people will lose interest. While I make my living doing baskets and cradleboards, I also do beadwork and holiday ornaments and whatever else I feel like creating. I think that to do the same thing all of the time would be boring for me, and for my customers.

TCR: Has the Internet affected your business?

SE: My only involvement with the Internet has been through www.nativespirits.com. I must say that it's a challenge to sell my work online. I really think people need to see it in person and touch it in order to want to buy it. I think perhaps that will change as people become more comfortable buying online. As I mentioned before, I've gotten some referrals from people seeing me and my work online. But personal contact with my pieces is important because the work is high-end, and because it's difficult to get a sense of its miniature dimensions while looking at it on the screen.

I do realize, however, that the way we buy on the Internet is likely to change. I need to learn more about the capabilities of computers and the Internet. I'm not sure if I'll have my own Web site, or continue to feature my work on someone else's, but I'm planning to learn more about it.

TCR: How do you attract customers who understand and can afford your work?

SE: My work is definitely unique. There are not many people making baskets in the traditional way anymore. There are plenty of knockoffs, but people who are really interested can see through that. The amount of time that goes into making one of my pieces shows in the finished product. In addition, I have added my own style to the traditional techniques that have been taught for generations.

Another thing that works for me is my name. Eagle is a very Indian name. So I am immediately associated with Indian traditions and culture.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Sandra Eagle Web site: www.nativespirits.com

TCR: How do you obtain your raw materials?

SE: I spend about one week each fall collecting willow to use in my work. I bring it home and split it in preparation for making my baskets. Even the string I use in my baskets is made from this willow. I also use pheasant feathers in my work, which are collected from the pheasants, usually male, that my father hunts in Idaho. The male pheasant has beautiful feathers in colors like deep purples and greens, reds and browns. I find beads just about anywhere, from traders in Idaho and from various bead vendors at shows.

TCR: What, in terms of business insight, have you learned to do or not to do over the years?

SE: I have learned that patience is very important. First of all, it takes a lot of patience to create the kind of work I make. I also think it's important to keep your mind open and always be willing to try new things. If you are creative, you can create a lot of different stuff. Moving easily from one type of work to another will help you r work stay fresh and new.

Bernadette Finnerty is a contributing editor for The Crafts Report.

Copyright© 2001

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