The granddaughter of Isabella and Charles Edenshaw, Primrose Adams holds a rich heritage of Haida artistry. Her mother, Florence Davidson, preceded her as a traditional weaver. Primrose has developed the techniques of her mother and grandmother to pass them on to her daughter Isabel, who has taken further steps of refinement in scale and design application.
Historically, the making of spruce root hats was often a collaborative effort between male and female artists. As in the case of Charles and Isabella Edenshaw, Isabella would weave the hats, and Charles would paint designs and patterns on them. In the past, the weaver’s role has often been left out, and the painter’s name was the only name attributed. In recent times, though, weavers like Isabel Rorick have created more designs in the weaving itself, and the resulting hats are elaborate enough without paint or further embellishment.
As with her ancestors, Primrose uses spruce root that her family has harvested in the traditional fashion. She also remains traditional in her weaving style, using no forms she often creates hats to be painted by a family member–her most recent, painted by her son, Alfred Adams.