Nevada State Museum to Debut Washoe Tribe Basketry Exhibit in May 2025
- Waší∙šiw Guwá: The Work of the Washoe People will feature largest public display of works by Louisa Keyser, also known as Datsolalee –
CARSON CITY, Nev. (May 2, 2025) – The Nevada State Museum will unveil an exhibit dedicated to the artistry and legacy of Washoe basket makers and weavers on Friday, May 16, 2025. Titled Waší∙šiw Guwá: The Work of the Washoe People, the exhibit features ten of the known nineteen works by Louisa Keyser, also known as Datsolalee, making it the largest public collection of her baskets in a single location and situated within the Basketry Gallery, which is connected to the Under One Sky gallery in the downstairs portion of the Museum. The exhibit showcases a total of 29 works from other Washoe weavers such as Scees Bryant Possock, Sarah Mayo, Maggie Mayo James, and Neola Pete. Waší∙šiw Guwá: The Work of the Washoe People can be seen following admission to the Nevada State Museum, which works to provide the public with quality educational exhibits and programs celebrating Nevada’s natural and cultural heritage.
Curated by Dr. Anna Camp, Nevada State Museum’s curator of anthropology and tribal liaison, Waší∙šiw Guwá: The Work of the Washoe People is the result of years of collaboration with the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, an indigenous community rooted in the Great Basin and Lake Tahoe region. The Washoe people are known for having a distinct language, intricate basketry traditions, and deep knowledge of fishing and gathering practices. Extensive efforts were taken to emphasize Washoe voices, including the incorporation of stories and oral histories shared directly by tribal members that shape both the visual and audio experience visitors can expect. Washoe Tribal Elders, including Melba Rakow, one of the last fluent first-language Washoe speakers, played a prominent role in shaping the gallery’s narrative and contributed voice translations of key materials. Rakow’s recordings offer visitors a rare opportunity to hear the Washoe language spoken in context.
“This exhibit is a painstaking effort to present a living record,” Dr. Camp said. “Our goal was to tell the story of Washoe basketry the way the community would want it told, not through romanticized myth but through cultural truth. We are excited to share the result of this hard work with visitors who will encounter the respect and tradition on display and take home a better understanding of the heart and craft of Washoe weavers.”
Waší∙šiw Guwá: The Work of the Washoe People also leans into best practices for accessibility. Designed with input from visitors who are blind or visually impaired, the gallery includes features like touchable bronze basket forms, a topographical relief of Lake Tahoe, and audio descriptions throughout the space. Guests can feel the difference between weaving techniques by exploring hands-on materials that reflect the texture, shape, and tightness of each weaving style. Text panels are in English, with translations in Washoe and Spanish available via QR code.
In conjunction with the opening, Dr. Camp will deliver a lecture on May 22 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. as part of the museum’s Frances Humphrey Lecture Series, a lecture series hosted on the fourth Thursday of each month to honor educator and historian Frances Humphrey. Dr. Camp will share details about the exhibit’s development and the relationships and legwork that went into ensuring the exhibit’s authenticity and cultural integrity. In particular, Dr. Camp leaned on relationships built over years of attending Washoe Cultural Resource Advisory Committee meetings. She also conducted oral histories with tribal elders such as Lana Hicks and Melba Rakow, stories that shared cultural knowledge now woven into the exhibit itself.
“We talked for hours,” Dr. Camp said of her interviews. “It was important to me that their words and worldview shaped the gallery. It was about more than baskets—it was about spirit, story, and connection.”
Admission for the lecture is $10 for adults. Children 17 and under are free and Nevada State Museum members can attend for free.
Louisa Keyser, (Datsolalee), was a Washoe Native American basket weaver born in the mid-19th century near Carson City, Nevada. Using traditional coiling techniques, she crafted tightly woven willow baskets and pioneered the degikup style, a large, round basket with a flat base and a small opening. Her artistry gained national attention during the early 20th century, helping to elevate Washoe basketry from a functional craft to a celebrated art form and preserving an important part of Native American cultural heritage. Today, her baskets are on display in major museums across the country, and she is honored through a Nevada state historic marker and an American Legion post named after her.
The Nevada State Museum is located at 600 N. Carson Street in Carson City and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more information on Nevada State Museum, visit www.carsonnvmuseum.org. For media inquiries, contact Rachel Gattuso, APR at (775) 336-9453 or rachel@gattusocoalition.com.
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