(energetic music) - [Tourist] The emotions that I feel when I'm anticipating coming out to Yakima are a mixture of excitement, escaping the concrete jungle, getting to a place where I can spread my wings.

(energetic music) (upbeat music) (Bessie speaking in foreign language) I am a weaver and I teach weaving here in the Yakima Valley.

(inspiring music) I was born in Toppenish, Washington, the eldest daughter in my family growing up on the Yakama Reservation.

This has been really beautiful.

We've been surrounded by our family.

(inspiring music) My late father and my mom always taught us values.

They were hardworking, but they were also very cultural.

My father spoke the language and he understood the language which people missed when he passed.

What they did pass on was creativity.

My mom is a wonderful seamstress of our traditional garments.

My dad was known for cedar bark baskets.

My brother Carl, he makes earrings.

He is an artist, he draws.

My younger sister, she's also getting into bead work.

It was hard growing up on the reservation with a lot of racism and prejudice.

And in middle school, I did not like being Native American.

I did not like being a young Yakama girl.

And that turned around for me when I was crowned Miss Yakama Nation in 1991 representing to now International Powwow.

It taught me our resources as a tribe, our strength as a tribe, our beauty as a tribe, and all the things that we can pass down to the next generation.

And it helped me identify myself as the Yakama woman who is strong, who is creative, who is beautiful, who is knowledgeable, and helped me grow.

(gentle music) When I was first beginning, things just came from my mind and came out of my hands and I couldn't describe what colors I was picking or what the designs were.

And I told my mom, "I know these aren't my ideas.

I know they're not my designs."

And it turned out like there was one triangular design, seven, five, three, one.

And my mom said, "That's (speaks in foreign language) that's a cloud."

And I was like, I knew there were things I was doing that were traditional, but I wasn't shown it, I just knew how to create it and I thought that was really cool.

So when I first began learning, I made everybody wapas that I could possibly give to in my family.

You're gonna have a pretty wapas.

(gentle music) And as things progressed, I was teaching weekly.

People were so interested in learning.

First began teaching, it was just because people asked me to.

And once I was teaching so regularly, my goal was to teach someone, so that they would teach someone, so they would teach someone, so that I wouldn't be the only one in a certain radius that knew how to make wapas.

(gentle music) (upbeat music) When you're beginning a new weaving project, it's important to know what materials to use.

Either the poly twine, the jute, or the craft cord, some yarn, a pair of scissors and a measuring tape is all you need to get started.

This one here is poly twine which is like a plastic-covered rope.

It's very thin and light.

We also have jute, which is the first one I learned on, and it's thicker.

You also have hemp twine and it comes in these thick strands or you can get them in smaller strands.

And I use those particularly for flat twine pouches.

There's also craft cord.

The thicker one I like because it's good for just general weaving when you're learning, it's a bigger size.

For intricate designs, I prefer to use the smaller ones 'cause I'll have to when I do designs, like from cross stitch patterns, you have to count, you have to pay attention to how many times you twine this color, how many times you twine that color.

And the two millimeter cord, I don't use for the big wapas, like the bigger gallon size, but I do use it for the miniature ones because it allows for the work to show through and the weight is really good.

So it's important to know your materials and it's important to know which project you're doing and what will work best.

(inspiring music) When I was 12, my two older brothers, myself and my younger sister had a namegiving ceremony.

Namegiving ceremonies are one of my favorite ones because you receive your identity as a Yakama.

And it said that when you go to heaven and you see the creator, he calls you by that name and it's your identity, it's what you carry, it's what you live up to.

And that day, my Indian name was given to me, Wahpeniat.

And I learned later that the translation of it means one who makes good baskets.

(gentle music) And I think of that little girl who at 12 did not like being an Indian girl, did not enjoy her culture and where today, now, I just love it.

I love every aspect of our culture that I can participate in.

(gentle music) - [Announcer] "Made There" is made in part with generous support from Yakima Valley Tourism.