"Members of the Puget Salish Tribe in the Northwest are now using Southeastern longleaf pine needles from Mississippi to build baskets, all because of a connection made between two employees of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)—from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast.

NRCS District Conservationist Andrea Mann in Pendleton, Ore. read about Allen Hughes, who is a soil conservation technician in Poplarville, Miss. and a longleaf pine forest enthusiast, on the NRCS employee website. Hughes grew up and continues to live among the pine trees, which produce a needle that Mann learned is an excellent ingredient for basket weaving, a tradition common to many Native American tribes.

The needles are 7–18 inches long and are more suitable for weaving baskets than the needles from the ponderosa pine trees indigenous to Oregon. It takes more of the short needles to make a basket, making the longleaf quicker and easier to use. That’s why Mann asked Hughes if he could send the needles for her and members of the Salish tribe."

Get the Story:
NRCS Staff Brings Mississippi Needles to Oregon Native Americans (USDA Blog 1/23)