• Image of visitor center and totem poles

    Sitka

    National Historical Park Alaska

Borhauer Basket Collection

The park's museum curator arranges a display of baskets

The park museum curator, Sue Thorsen, arranges a display of baskets from the Doris Borhauer collection.

NPS Photo

The Doris Borhauer Basket Collection is comprised of 92 spruce root baskets created by Tlingit and Haida weavers from Southeast Alaska. The National Park Service purchased the collection from Doris Borhauer in 1970. Typically, only a portion of the collection is on display at any one time due to limited display space within the park.

You can view the entire collection in an on-line searchable database hosted by the Alaska Native Knowledge Network. The photographs and notes in the database were compiled by the Sitka Tribe of Alaska through a Historic Preservation Grant from the National Park Service.

Did You Know?

Totem hall at Sitka National Historical Park

Alaska’s Governor John Brady asked leaders from several southeast Alaska villages to donate totem poles for public exhibitions outside of Alaska, and eventually, for display at Sitka’s popular public park. More than a dozen Tlingit and Haida poles were placed along the park’s trail in 1906. More...