Answering YOUR questions on pine needle weaving + YOUR baskets

Ah stop it’s not cultural appropriation, it’s cultural appreciation. In our modern throwaway customer world to make and treasure material gathered from sustainable sources really shows our respect for our planet and surroundings. Besides our European ancestors wove baskets also, this was a common skill for those to didn’t have the luxury to pop down to the local shop to buy tubberware. I love that video by the way, you explained the process so well. Thank you.

I am Native American (My grandmother was full blooded Penobscot and my father was half ) a tribe in Maine (in the US) . my great grandmother taught my grandmother and she taught me how to weave. it is a tradition passed down throughout generations. sadly a lot of our traditions are being forgotten including our language. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you making and selling these lil treasures that you create! you are a wonderful weaver and your work is beautiful! It seems we live in a society where someone always has something to say ,even if they know not what they speak of. it saddens me and weighs heavy on my heart that we can not ALL just be kind to one another. we need more LOVE in our hearts. thank you for keeping our traditions alive. I wish you many blessings , happiness and abundance on your journey! love and light

I think its extremely important to keep all crafts alive. Sharing techniques and ideas with as many people as possible. Too many crafts are dying out, and its such a shame. I love your video's

People have borrowed crafts etc since the beginning of time. I have a pine needle basket my ancestors made that is over 100 years old and those relatives were not Native American. I am sure someone proudly showed them how to make the baskets. It’s called sharing… I love your work. Very talented. And you are an amazing instructor. Thank you!

I'm from the Modoc tribe in Oregon. I want to say thank you for this video that can help me and other tribes restore a part of our culture. The Chinook tribe is near me and the pine needle baskets are a part of their tradition. It may also be part of my ancestors tradition too but I hope to be able to ask our elders soon.

I don't really think it's cultural appropriation. It's like saying I cannot weave in my frame loom because it is originally from different ancestral cultures. It's a knowledge passed through generations and it's awesome that we get to know the roots of it. It would be another story if we are talking about a company, an industry, that steals an ancestral design which has meaning and full of symbology to make it into just a pretty thing to wear, see or use, emptying it of all it's history and content. Individual woman who creates and crafts it's not cultural appropriation. Keep it up! It's lovely what you do.

We had a huge fall of umbrella-pine needles in our garden this year. It seemed a shame to just throw them away. I found your (beautifully well explained) instructions on how to turn them into baskets, and had a good time making a couple. It was just as I was finishing the second one that my memory was jogged. I'd made a domed lid and it suddenly reminded me of a traditional English bee-keeper's skep. A bit of Googling showed that the basic method of making a skep is, in principle, exactly the same as making your Native American baskets, but using straw and cane rather than pine needles and thread. So the method is not unique to Native Americans, and I would think is likely to be found around the world. People who make things with love, care and a sense of tradition are usually generous with what they do and know. I relish the idea of people with different histories coming together to share and enjoy and wonder at what they have in common, and also what makes their individual ways of creating beauty special. Thanks very much for helping me to make some baskets in that beautiful North American way, Marina, and for giving me food for thought. I shan't be making a skep, though. Probably.

It's called cultural appreciation, most people would be flattered that you'd take interest in their culture.

Beautiful! My sister left behind her beautiful pine needle baskets as a reminder of her many talents. I cherish the one she gave me. She learned this art in Austin, Texas using pine needles from the Lost Pines in Bastrop, Texas. She told us it was becoming a lost art. I’m so glad you are keeping this lost art alive and sharing your beautiful work with the world. 💜

I drink lots of Italian coffee but my taste buds always show respect of Italian culture. Love your work.

I just want to say...Because of your video; I made a pine-needle basket it came out great! I gave it as a gift to my mother she loved it. ❤️. So thank you so much for doing the pineneedle basket video. Yes 🙂 I plan on making more. 🐾❤️👣 Signed French Italian 🙂

It is a Native Americian craft but it is ok for you to make and teach how to make as well as to profit off of it. We believe in sharing our crafts with people. And we just want to keep the crafts alive.

You’re a sweet soul... I’m sure all these people screaming “cultural appropriation” at you have also purchased Italian food that wasn’t prepared by an Italian person before, ya know? It’s silly for us to not educate & learn from each other’s cultures, imo. And with that being said, I actually got super into basket weaving during my Covid solitary confinement too, except I’m more into using any materials that might otherwise make it into a landfill... shredded up old fabrics, tattered (unusable) plastic bags, anything pliable & durable will work, really! Anyway, I truly enjoyed your basket weaving video & felt like it was done respectfully... Ooooh, Italian leather scraps would be a very cool material to weave a basket out of!!! 😍 Sending you good vibes, Marina... love, Marina from California (but most of my family still lives in Roma)! 🙌🏼

Thank you so much for the video! I want to try weaving and your videos are such an inspiration. You are a very beautiful and a talented girl. 😊

I started making baskets because I watched one of your videos suggested by youtube. Im on my 3 one now, it will give me something to do in the cold mountains of Colorado. Thank you

I have several original native craft pine needle baskets left by my parents after they had passed. I grew up playing with these and of course, as a kid, I had no idea how culturally important they were and did not give them the respect they deserved. Really had never questioned what they were really made of....until now. Thank you for these videos.

Hey, dear Marina! How about bracelets from the pine needles. The same style. I think it will be very beautiful... :) Just an idea....

you seem like a lovely person. i don't usually encounter women who i feel comfortable with, so ending up feeling so enriched and calm watching you speak is wonderful

I see it as cultural appreciation. You are keeping the skill alive and being respectful of it. It is a craft and you’re application of it is show (it’s not just a fashion statement for you)

wow! the tiny seed has become a tree with branches reaching to unknown breadth and height. I just love and celebrate what this has become; not only is it a blessing to you but to so many and in the bigger picture, preserving this beautiful art form. The baskets at the end were a highlight and i have my favorites although they are all so lovely. I have a pine needle basket that belonged to my grandma who received it as a gift from a friend. It is approximately 80 years old and in perfect condition. It is one of the things i treasure most because of its natural beauty and it represents grandma's love of nature.