At 70, she heeded her Chumash calling to bend rushes into baskets - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

by Jeanette Marantos

January 8, 2026

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At 70, Susanne Hammel-Sawyer discovered her Chumash heritage and with it, a passion for basket-making—a skill lost for nearly a century after the death of Candelaria Valenzuela, the last known Chumash basket maker. As a child, Hammel-Sawyer knew little about her Indigenous roots, but at 70, she took a class that sparked a journey to becoming one of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians' most skilled basket makers. Today, her work is displayed in three California museums, and she is celebrated for reviving a tradition nearly lost to history. Hammel-Sawyer grows her own materials, including basket rush (Juncus textilis) and Baltic rush (Juncus balticus), in a galvanized steel trough at her Goleta home. She also collects skunk bush (Rhus aromatica var. trilobata) from nearby hills to add white accents to her designs. Using simple tools like a plastic storage container for soaking reeds and an old can with nail holes to strip them, she creates baskets that are primarily yellowish brown, with occasional red or black accents. The reddish color appears at the bottom of dried reeds, which she treasures for adding vibrant touches to her designs. Her baskets are not only works

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Originally published on Los Angeles Times on 1/8/2026