The area between the Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountains in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, and Western Montana is known as the Plateau Culture area. From north to south it runs from the Fraser River in the north to the Blue Mountains in the south. The Indian tribes in this area made woven bags, baskets, and decorative beadwork items from a variety of local, natural, organic materials.
Chappie Dunning had a lifelong appreciation of the First Nations of the Columbia Plateau. She studied their craft work, art, and hand work. In 1962, she gave 1156 objects to the people of Washington State. These objects, some of which are shown in the photographs below, are in the care of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane.
According to the Museum display:
“To preserve the collection for many generations, museum staff must understand how environment, handling, and storage will affect material such as dried plants, leather, horn, shell, and feathers.”