Name and Logo
The name of Dushuyay Research stems from the Twana Indians of western Washington’s Hood Canal region. In the Twana language, dushuyay
means ‘wolf.’ It is pronounced with Romance language vowels (the first
two syllables rhyming with English ‘shoe’ and the last syllable with
‘fly‘). The wolf is an important guardian spirit in Twana culture and
can function as either a war power or a hunting power.
The following is a description of the wolf design in Twana basketry and comes from Thompson and Marr’s 1983 book, Crow’s Shells: Artistic Basketry of Puget Sound.

WOLF
The “wolf” design is based on the “dog,” having the same head, neck, body and legs as the straight-legged “dog.” The “dog” has an upturned tail while the “wolf” has a downward slanting tail. With the decline of the timber wolf in the area and the appearance and importance of the horse, the “wolf” was reinterpreted as “horse” by some Twana after 1890. Due to the slant of the tail, the “wolf” faces toward the right in order to match the direction of the pitch.
Unlike the “dog,” the “wolf” appears only rarely on coiled works. On soft twined baskets “wolves” are usually found in the role of rum designs; occasionally they are seen on the main design field. Variations include different body, head, tail and leg lengths, attempts to slant the legs, a narrowing of the head width, and a tail which goes up vertically before slanting downward.
For a listing of the 100 library locations with a copy of Crow's Shells, visit http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/oclc/9575582&tab=holdings&loc=USA#tabs
Partners
Dr. Nile Thompson and Carolyn Marr own and operate Dushuyay Research. Thompson and Marr have a combined total of over 60 years of experience working with American Indian tribes in Washington, British Columbia, Montana, Idaho and Oregon. They are recognized experts in many areas concerning these groups, including language, culture, basketry, history, geography, photography, education and oral literature. However, the breadth of their experience and knowledge goes beyond working with Indian tribes and encompasses the broader history and cultures of the region. The partners provide services either independently or as a team.

