Introducing…The Jennifer Younger Collection
Alaska Tlingit artist Jennifer Younger has partnered with American Dakota to transform traditional spruce root basket patterns into a collection of made-to-order area rugs. The collaboration brings centuries-old weaving traditions into a contemporary textile while honoring the cultural stories that inspired them.
Art has always been part of Younger’s life. She grew up drawing, painting and creating, but in her late thirties she felt a growing desire to reconnect with her Tlingit heritage and pass that knowledge on to her children. That journey led her to learn the traditional art of spruce root basket weaving.
Inspired by her grandmother, Younger says, “I wanted to help carry on her legacy and help revitalize something of her culture—which was literally beaten out of her.”
She first learned to gather and prepare spruce roots from her mother, who had studied under respected weavers Dolores Churchill and Teri Rofkar. Later, while living in Sitka, Alaska, Younger continued learning directly from Rofkar before continuing her studies with her mother.
“Traditionally, adults and elders worked with the younger generation,” Younger explains. “That is what my mom is doing today. She teaches classes, takes groups into the forest to gather and prepare roots, and travels throughout Southeast Alaska teaching weaving. She continues to mentor me and inspire me.”
Those traditions eventually became the foundation for a new collaboration with American Dakota, a U.S.-based rug manufacturer that partners directly with Indigenous artists to translate their original artwork into American-made area rugs.
For Younger, the partnership was about more than creating a product.
“Authentic collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous creators works when you work as a team,” she says. “We’re creating something that isn’t Native-inspired, but is actually created with a Native artist while respecting Native designs.”
The resulting collection draws from the geometry and symbolism found in traditional Tlingit spruce root baskets. Designs reference ocean waves, strawberries, bear tracks and sand hills while introducing those patterns to a new audience.
“People who are familiar with Tlingit art may not realize that we have many basket patterns that tell stories,” Younger says. “I hope this collection draws attention to that.”
Mark Ford, owner of American Dakota, said the collaboration reflected the creative partnership both sides hoped to achieve.
“Jennifer demonstrates the true meaning of collaboration,” Ford said. “She brought ideas, references, stories and vision to the project while giving us the freedom to apply our experience with texture and color to help bring her artistic expression to life.”
Younger says the experience reinforced the importance of respecting tradition while allowing historic designs to find new purpose.
“In my art process, I am always considering what came before me,” she says. “Respecting tradition, respecting your elders and respecting proper techniques are all important when bringing something into a contemporary setting. Connecting to community through my art gives what I do purpose and meaning.”
She believes adapting traditional basket patterns into rugs allows those designs to become part of everyday life rather than remaining on display.
“Nowadays we have plastic or tin cups and buckets. There isn’t much practical use for many of these traditional items anymore,” Younger says. “I’m trying to reimagine a way to appreciate the woven designs through something—like a rug—that can be used and seen every day.”
The Jennifer Younger Collection includes four designs available in an 8-foot round, 5×8 and 8×11 sizes. The rugs are manufactured in Georgia using American-made equipment and American Dakota’s EnduraStran® nylon. The collection will launch during the second week of August.
For more information, visit www.jenniferyoungerdesigns.com.
Basket Case – Blue
Basket Case is a collaboration between Jennifer Younger and American Dakota, inspired by the enduring beauty of Tlingit spruce root basketry.
Working closely with Jennifer, the design team sought to honor the cultural significance of traditional basket patterns while preserving their authenticity. Equally inspiring was the rich patina that develops on baskets through years of use, reflecting the lives and hands that have cared for them.
Together, Jennifer and the design team selected a contemporary two-tone color palette, creating a fresh interpretation of these timeless designs. Blue is a celebration of how tradition can be respectfully preserved, thoughtfully reimagined, and carried forward into modern homes.
Basket Case – Rust
Basket Case is a collaboration between Jennifer Younger and American Dakota, inspired by the enduring beauty of Tlingit spruce root basketry.
Working closely with Jennifer, the design team sought to honor the cultural significance of traditional basket patterns while preserving their authenticity. Equally inspiring was the rich patina that develops on baskets through years of use, reflecting the lives and hands that have cared for them.
Together, Jennifer and the design team selected a contemporary two-tone color palette, creating a fresh interpretation of these timeless designs. Rust is a celebration of how tradition can be respectfully preserved, thoughtfully reimagined, and carried forward into modern homes.
Storyteller – Home
Story Teller weaves together traditional Tlingit spruce root basket patterns that reflect the landscape of Jennifer Younger’s childhood in Yakutat, Alaska.
Featuring the Strawberry Weave, Waves, Bear Tracks, and Sand Hills patterns, the design honors family walks along Yakutat’s beaches, where towering spruce trees meet the shoreline and patches of wild strawberries flourish beneath the forest canopy.
Bears have long shared these lands, their tracks serving as reminders of the deep connection between people, place, and wildlife. Each pattern tells part of that story, preserving memories of the landscape while celebrating the enduring artistry and language of Tlingit basket weaving.
Material: EnduraStran© premium nylon yarn is made of 100% nylon fiber. Nylon fiber is one of the toughest and most versatile fibers on the market. Used in a myriad of products from ropes to hosiery, its strength, resistance to abrasion and soiling, as well as its elasticity and resilience, make it one of the best fibers for use in the manufacture of carpets and rugs.
Vessel – Aged
Vessel celebrates the rainforest homeland of the Tlingit people through the language of traditional spruce root basketry. The design incorporates the Tree Shadow and Fern patterns, both inspired by the forest that has sustained generations of Tlingit families. Towering spruce trees, lush ferns, and abundant rain shape both the landscape and the materials used in weaving, making basketry a reflection of place as much as artistry. This rug honors that relationship by translating these ancestral patterns into a contemporary textile, reminding us that culture is rooted in the land and carried forward through the stories, knowledge, and designs passed from one generation to the next.
Size: 8ft Round
