And woman wove it in a basket

The spiritual and cultural importance of basketweaving to Oregon's Klickitat Indians is explored in this portrait of master craftswoman Nettie Kuneki. As Nettie creates the colorful, intricate baskets, prized by collectors and displayed in museums, she recalls the traditional river life of her people, dependent on fishing from the Columbia River and the trading of baskets for survival. Together with her husband and daughter, Nettie pursues age-old seasonal activities: smoking fish, gathering the grasses essential for her craft and picking the roots used for medicinal purposes. Nettie's personal odyssey to reclaim her heritage is punctuated by Klickitat myths and legends and archival footage. Her spiritual quest, conjoined with the filmmakers' mission to document an endangered lifestyle, results in a unique tapestry of personal memory and cultural collaboration.