Essie Pinola Parrish
Essie Pinola Parrish (1902–1979), was a Kashaya Pomo spiritual leader and exponent of native traditions. She was also a notable basket weaver.[1][2][3]
Essie Pinola Parrish  | |
|---|---|
| Born | Essie Nellie Fisk Pinola 1902  | 
| Died | 1979 | 
| Nationality | Kashaya Pomo, American | 
| Known for | Basket weaving, Kashaya language studies | 
| Movement | Native American basketry | 
| Patron(s) | Robert F. Kennedy | 
Biography
    
Parrish was born Essie Pinola in 1902 at the Stewarts Point Rancheria in Stewarts Point, California.[4] At the age of 6, she was recognized as a shaman by the Kashaya and eventually became the spiritual leader of the Kashaya community. She was considered a prophet and a skilled interpreter of dreams.[4][5]
Parrish was also a healer and a teacher.[4] Parrish educated Kashaya (Kashia) children in the Kashaya Pomo language. She collaborated with Robert Oswalt, a linguist at University of California, Berkeley, to write a dictionary of Kashaya Pomo. Her work on Kashaya Pomo is in the California Language Archive.[6] She helped create over 20 anthropological films documenting Pomo culture.[7] She lectured at the New School in New York City in 1972.[8]
Parrish was well known for her expertise in basket weaving. Robert F. Kennedy was among her collectors.[5]
References
    
- Sarris, Greg (1993). Keeping Slug Woman Alive. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-08007-2.
 - Oswalt, Robert L. (1964). Kashaya texts. University of California publications in linguistics. Vol. 36. University of California Press.
 - Sarris, Greg (1994). Mabel McKay: Weaving the Dream. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-20968-0.
 - LaBaron, Gaye (11 March 1984). "Insight". The Press Democrat. Santa Rosa, California. p. 22.
 - "Native American Women's History Quiz". National Women's History Project. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
 - "Essie Parrish – California Language Archive". Retrieved 2013-04-08.
 - "29 Nov 2012 :: Essie Parrish". our herstory .:. bourne women. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
 - Rothenburg, Jerome. "Outsider Poems, a Mini-Anthology in Progress (52): Essie Parish in New York". Jerome Rothenburg Poems and Poetics. Jacket2. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
 
External links
    
- Redwood bark dolls made by Essie Pinola Parrish
 - Pomo Dreamers and Doctors, includes photos of Essie Parrish
 - "Essie Parrish – California Language Archive". Retrieved 2013-04-08.
 - Sucking doctor (DVD video, 2009). OCLC 438246565. Retrieved 2013-04-08.