Carrie Bethel
Encyclopedia
Carrie McGowan Bethel was a Mono Lake Paiute - Kucadikadi
(Northern Paiute) basketmaker
associated with Yosemite National Park
. She was born Carrie McGowan in Lee Vining
, California
and began making baskets at the age of 12. She participated in basket making competitions in the Yosemite Indian Field Days in 1926 and 1929. She gave basket weaving demonstrations at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition
Carrie Bethel was one of a group of Mono-Paiute women "became known for their exceedingly fine, visually stunning and complex polychrome baskets." Other basket weaving
artists in this group included Nellie Charlie
and Lucy Telles
.
Carrie McGowan Bethel died in Lee Vining, in 1974.
Four of her baskets were part of an exhibition on the art of Yosemite which appeared at the Autry National Center
, the Oakland Museum of California
, the Nevada Museum of Art
and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art from 2006 to 2008.
Kucadikadi
The Kucadikadi are a band of Northern Paiute people who live near Mono Lake in Mono County, California. They are the southernmost band of Northern Paiute.-Name:...
(Northern Paiute) basketmaker
Basket weaving
Basket weaving is the process of weaving unspun vegetable fibres into a basket or other similar form. People and artists who weave baskets are called basketmakers and basket weavers.Basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materials•anything that will bend and form a shape...
associated with Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
. She was born Carrie McGowan in Lee Vining
Lee Vining, California
Lee Vining is a census-designated place in Mono County, California, United States. It is located south-southeast of Bridgeport, at an elevation of 6781 feet . Lee Vining is located on the southwest shore of Mono Lake. The population was 222 as of the 2010 census, down from 250 reported as of 2000...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and began making baskets at the age of 12. She participated in basket making competitions in the Yosemite Indian Field Days in 1926 and 1929. She gave basket weaving demonstrations at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition
Golden Gate International Exposition
The Golden Gate International Exposition , held at San Francisco, California's Treasure Island, was a World's Fair that celebrated, among other things, the city's two newly-built bridges. The San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge was dedicated in 1936 and the Golden Gate Bridge was dedicated in 1937...
Carrie Bethel was one of a group of Mono-Paiute women "became known for their exceedingly fine, visually stunning and complex polychrome baskets." Other basket weaving
Basket weaving
Basket weaving is the process of weaving unspun vegetable fibres into a basket or other similar form. People and artists who weave baskets are called basketmakers and basket weavers.Basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materials•anything that will bend and form a shape...
artists in this group included Nellie Charlie
Nellie Charlie
Nellie Charlie was a Mono Lake Paiute - Kucadikadi basketmaker associated with Yosemite National Park. She was born in Lee Vining, California, the daughter of tribal headman Pete Jim, and his wife Patsy, also a basketmaker. She married Young Charlie, a Mono Lake Paiute - Kucadikadi man from...
and Lucy Telles
Lucy Telles
Lucy Parker Telles was a Mono Lake Paiute - Kucadikadi and Southern Sierra Miwok Native American basket weaver.-Background:...
.
Carrie McGowan Bethel died in Lee Vining, in 1974.
Legacy
In 2006, one of her baskets sold at auction for $216,250. This basket had won first prize in the 1926 Yosemite Field Days basket competition.Four of her baskets were part of an exhibition on the art of Yosemite which appeared at the Autry National Center
Autry National Center
The Autry National Center of the American West is an intercultural center and museum in Los Angeles, California that celebrates the diversity and history of the American West through three important institutions: the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of the American West, and the...
, the Oakland Museum of California
Oakland Museum of California
Oakland Museum of California or Oakland Museum is a museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California located in Oakland, California....
, the Nevada Museum of Art
Nevada Museum of Art
The Nevada Museum of Art, located at 160 West Liberty Street in Reno, Nevada, is the only American Association of Museums accredited art museum in the state of Nevada. The museum is thematic, focusing on the growing interest in the protection of the land...
and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art from 2006 to 2008.