Julia F. Parker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Julia Parker
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Parker in 2007
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Julia Florence
February 1928 (age 97) Marin County, California, U.S.
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| Nationality | Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria |
| Education | Lucy Telles, Mabel McKay, Elsie Allen |
| Known for | basket weaver |
| Movement | indigenous Californian basketry |
| Patron(s) | Queen Elizabeth II |
Julia Florence Parker (born in February 1928) is a famous Native American basket weaver. She is part of the Coast Miwok and Kashaya Pomo tribes.
Julia learned her amazing skills from some of the best basket weavers of the 1900s. These teachers included Lucy Telles, Mabel McKay, and Elsie Allen. For over 40 years, Julia Parker has been one of California's top Native American basket makers. She is a respected elder in the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. She has also lived in Yosemite Valley for a long time.
Parker is a very active artist, teacher, and storyteller.
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Julia Parker's Early Life
Julia Parker was born in February 1928 in Marin County, California. Her father was Coast Miwok, and her mother was Kashaya Pomo. Sadly, both her parents died when she was young. Because of this, Julia and her brothers and sisters went to a Native American boarding school.
In 1945, when Julia was 17, she married Ralph Parker. Ralph was the grandson of Lucy Telles, a famous basket weaver. Ralph is believed to be the last full-blood Mono Lake Paiute person.
Learning to Weave Baskets
After they got married, Julia and Ralph moved to Yosemite. This is where Julia began to learn basket weaving from Lucy Telles. She also continued her training with other skilled weavers. These included Carrie Bethel, Minnie Mike, and Elsie Allen.
Julia Parker's Career
Since 1960, Julia Parker has worked at the Yosemite Museum. She is a cultural specialist there. Her job is to teach visitors about the history and culture of the tribes in Yosemite Valley. She took over this role from her husband's grandmother, Lucy Telles.
Julia often shows people how to weave baskets. She also demonstrates how to process acorns, which was an important food for Native Americans. She has taught and given talks at universities, cultural centers, and schools all over the United States.
She has also traveled to places like Alaska, Hawaii, and Australia. There, she met with other native artists. Many museums, including the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center in New York City, have asked her for advice about their collections.
Exhibitions and Special Honors
In 2004, Julia Parker's basket weaving was featured in a big art show. It was called The Past in Present Tense: Four Decades of Julia Parker Baskets. This show was at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek. In the same year, she was on a TV show called Spark on KQED television.
Julia Parker's artwork is kept in many important collections. These include the National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Her work is also at the Yosemite Museum in Yosemite National Park. Even Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has one of her baskets in her private collection!
Julia Parker has received several special honors. In 2006, the California College of the Arts gave her an honorary doctorate. This is a special degree given to people who have achieved great things. In May 2021, she received another honorary doctorate from California State University, Fresno.
In 2007, Parker received the National Heritage Fellowship. This is the highest honor in the United States for traditional folk artists. It is given by the National Endowment for the Arts.
