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The Kid Should See This

My Father’s Tools and the Indigenous art of basket weaving

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From finding a bendable Black Ash tree in the forest—”He chooses the specific log based on soil, smell, and even the sound of the tree when you bang on it.”—to chopping, preparing, and refining it for weaving, Stephen Jerome handcrafts baskets, a traditional Indigenous art that he learned from his late father.

His focused crafting process, both a tribute and a connection to his dad, is captured in My Father's Tools, a wordless short film by Heather Condo in collaboration with Wapikoni Mobile. The Montreal-based non-profit produces films, hosts film screenings, and provides documentary filmmaking and musical recording workshops for First Nations youth so that they can tell their own stories.

harvesting a tree
Stephen Jerome in his workshop
Next, watch related videos from around the globe:
• Harvesting cork in rural Spain
• Making limebast rope in Norway
• The art of Yosegi Zaiku in Japan
• Weaving with bark fiber in Australia
• Weaving Harris Tweed in Scotland
• Weaving a charpai bed in India

Bonus: Watch the “Salvation Fish” Transform From Animal to Candle.

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