Meet Linda Yamane

Lower Thirds Title: Rumsen Ohlone

Linda Yamane is a traditional Rumsen Ohlone artist from Monterey Bay Area. As an Ohlone basketweaver Linda began her journey towards recreating traditional baskets over 20 years ago. Through hard work, trial and error, as well as extensive ethnographic work Linda has helped to reclaim and rearticulate the traditional knowledge required to create Ohlone baskets using plants native to the Central California Coastline (e.g., willow shoots, bulrush rhizomes, and sedge rhizomes), preserving this practice for future generations. Linda’s work has since expanded beyond baskets, though it remains her primary focus, and began incorporating additional materials in her work (e.g., feathers and shells) including red abalone. Linda, like many other artists, has had to acquire red abalone in a non-traditional manner since the closure of the fishery in California in 2018. Her shell work is primarily supported by donations from recreational divers who have retained boxes of red abalone from days past.  

Check out Linda’s website below for more information and access to the Alliance for California Indigenous Arts Apprenticeship Program.

 Linda’s Website: https://www.actaonline.org/profile/linda-yamane/