Essie Pinola Parrish (1902–1979), was a
Kashaya Pomo spiritual leader and exponent of
native traditions. She was also a notable
basket weaver
Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...
.
Biography
Parrish was born Essie Pinola in 1902 at the
Stewarts Point Rancheria in
Stewarts Point, California.
At the age of 6, she was recognized as a
shaman
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a Spirit world (Spiritualism), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as tranc ...
by the Kashaya and eventually became the spiritual leader of the Kashaya community. She was considered a
prophet
In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
and a skilled
interpreter of dreams.
Parrish was also a healer and a teacher.
Parrish educated Kashaya (Kashia) children in the
Kashaya Pomo language. She collaborated with
Robert Oswalt, a linguist at
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, to write a dictionary of Kashaya Pomo. Her work on Kashaya Pomo is in the
California Language Archive. She helped create over 20 anthropological films documenting Pomo culture. She lectured at
the New School in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
in 1972.
Parrish was well known for her expertise in basket weaving.
Robert F. Kennedy was among her collectors.
See also
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List of Native American artists
*
Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas
References
External links
Redwood bark dolls made by Essie Pinola Parrish includes photos of Essie Parrish
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrish, Essie Pinola
1902 births
1979 deaths
Female Native American leaders
Native American basket weavers
Pomo people
Religious figures of the indigenous peoples of North America
20th-century American women artists
Native American women artists
Women basketweavers
20th-century Native Americans
20th-century Native American women