What would you like to teach the next generation?
/I learned to gather and prepare spruce roots from my mother, who learned much of what she knows from renowned Tlingit weavers Dolores Churchill and Teri Rofkar. At the time, I was living in Sitka, where I also had the opportunity to learn directly from Teri. Since then, my mother has remained my greatest teacher and mentor.
Art has always been part of my life.
Growing up without electricity meant there wasn't much television, so my imagination found other outlets. I spent my childhood drawing, painting, and making things with my hands.
I fell in love with the way art captures. Symbols, colours, and form tell stories that are personal yet open to interpretation. A single piece can carry one meaning for the artist and another for the person experiencing it. That ability to connect through story has always fascinated me.
Even so, becoming an artist never felt like a realistic career path. After high school, I followed the expected route into the 9-5.
It wasn't until my late thirties that my perspective changed.
As I began to value time differently, I found myself thinking about what I wanted to leave behind. More than anything, I wanted to pass on part of my Tlingit heritage to my children and continue the traditions my grandmother fought so hard to preserve.
“How does a story survive? By the reliving of the memories we inherit, the places that shape us, and the patterns we teach. This is the art of the Tlingit spruce root basketry.”
My grandmother was raised in an institution, where much of her language and culture was taken from her. As a result, so much knowledge was lost between her generation and my mother's.
Before I ever began working with metal, I made the decision to learn the art of Tlingit spruce root basketry.
I was inspired by my grandmother's resilience. Learning to weave became a way of carrying forward her legacy and contributing, in my own way, to the revitalization of a culture that had been deliberately suppressed. Every lesson from my mother became more than learning a technique—it became a way of reclaiming memories.
As I learned more, I also came to understand how fragile this knowledge had become.
Spruce root basketry is considered an endangered art among the tribes of Southeast Alaska. My hometown of Yakutat was once renowned for producing some of the finest spruce root weavings. The sandy forest floor allowed spruce roots to grow long and straight, making them ideal for weaving. Yet, over time, very few people still knew how to gather and prepare the roots, and even fewer continued the weaving tradition itself.
How does a legacy survive?
By reliving the memories we inherit, returning to the places that shape us, and teaching the patterns entrusted to us. That is the art of Tlingit spruce root basketry.
Created in collaboration with American Dakota, my latest collection is an exploration of Tlingit spruce root basket patterns in a new medium. It is an opportunity to bring these enduring designs beyond the basket and into everyday living spaces, allowing them to become part of your family's home and story.
And the designs are far more than decorative patterns.
The collection is called Preservance; because preserving culture requires perseverance. It honours the determination of generations of Tlingit artists, weavers, and knowledge keepers who refused to let this art disappear.
They carry memories of towering spruce forests, wild strawberry patches, salmon streams, and the presence of bears throughout the rainforest homeland of the Tlingit people. Every motif reflects generations of observation, relationship, and storytelling. Through these rugs, those stories continue their journey in a new form.
My hope is that these pieces become part of your family's memories, gathering stories across generations just as the patterns they carry have done for mine.
I also hope they encourage the next generation to be proud of where they come from—to know that their heritage is something to celebrate, and to believe that with dedication and perseverance, they can become anything they set their minds to.
I invite you to slow down, look closely, and discover the stories woven into every pattern around you.
Preservance: The Living Pattern
LAUNCHING AUGUST 15TH, 2026
Story Teller weaves together traditional Tlingit spruce root basket patterns that reflect the landscape of Jennifer Younger’s childhood in Yakutat, Alaska.
Featuring the Strawberry Weave, Waves, Bear Tracks, and Sand Hills patterns, the design honors family walks along Yakutat’s beaches, where towering spruce trees meet the shoreline and patches of wild strawberries flourish beneath the forest canopy.
Bears have long shared these lands, their tracks serving as reminders of the deep connection between people, place, and wildlife. Each pattern tells part of that story, preserving memories of the landscape while celebrating the enduring artistry and language of Tlingit basket weaving.
—Jennifer Younger