Hazel Pete

Hazel Doris Pete was born on March 21, 1914, on the Chehalis Indian Reservation in Grays Harbor County in the State of Washington.

Even at the age of 4, she would secretly tag along with her older siblings on their three-mile trek to the Chehalis Day school even though she was not yet old enough to attend.

This strong appreciation for learning would eventually take on an even more significant role in her life years later (Collins 2001, p. 16) When Pete began her formal education, she came under a federally mandated system designed to resocialize Native Americans in a way that would better incorporate them into the broader culture of the nation.

While this system was meant to help improve the life chances of Pete and those like her by introducing the mainstream lifestyle, it also resulted in a systematic dismantling of their ancestral traditions.

It was here where she experienced a degree of racism and bigotry from white children who greatly outnumbered Native Americans in attendance.

Though in disrepair and without inadequate funding, Tulalip introduced Hazel to a higher level of education and a deeper appreciation for practical skills.

While it was not known at the time, the most meaningful element of Hazel's enrollment at Chemawa was a class she attended on Indian arts and crafts in her senior year.

Hazel Pete's hopes of becoming a nurse were quickly undone when she made her first inquiry at St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma, WA.

Advisers from Chemawa recalled her natural talent in the arts and recommended that she pursue the field further at the Santa Fe Indian School in New Mexico.

(Collins 2001, p. 21–22) Below is a quote from Pete regarding her experience at Santa Fe: I learned more about Indian culture than my parents knew.

There is not a great deal of information available on the marital life of Pete but what is known is that she married Joseph DuPuis and was remarried to Frank Richardson.

She remembered watching her grandmother make them decades earlier and utilized this memory to reintroduce the ancestral methodology of basket weaving to the Chehalis people once again.

She went on to create the Hazel Pete Institute of Chehalis Basketry through which she taught her children and grandchildren her unique trade.

In 2001, Pete was chosen to receive the most renowned honor available in the state of Washington for artists: the Governor's Heritage Award.