TEMECULA -- It goes something like this: you locate and pray over your materials in nature, you collect them, you prepare them and then, finally, you begin the actual weaving. It's an involved undertaking that typically takes many hours.

But it's a rewarding experience with payoffs that can be measured in multiple ways.

And for Lorene Sisquoc, who taught a basket-weaving workshop Saturday at the UC Riverside Temecula Center, it's a tradition that keeps her in touch with her roots.

"It's the connection to my ancestors, to the land here," she said. "They're so amazing, the things they made here."

Sisquoc, a descendent of the Cahuilla tribe of California and a member of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, is the culture traditions leader at Sherman Indian School in Riverside. She's also the curator of the school's museum.

At Sherman, and through other programs for American Indians, Sisquoc teaches more involved courses that delve into technique, style and form.

Her goal at classes like Saturday's is to teach more about the tradition of the art itself to non-natives and to engender within them an awareness and appreciation of the practice.

"I think it's important to raise the awareness," she said. "This class brings awareness. That's why I teach it."

The class, which is part of a series of Native American Studies courses through the UC Riverside Extension, cost $75 to attend and went from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Students were given a background on the practice and then were given hands-on instruction in preparing the materials.

By the end of the class, they walked away with a basket made on their own.

Linda Moran was one of the six local women who attended the class and said that she did so for a couple reasons.

"I've always been interested in Native American culture," said Moran, who added that she chose Native American studies as a minor in college because of this interest.

Moran, a third-grade teacher at Avaxat Elementary School in Murrieta, said she plans to integrate what she learned into social sciences curriculum in her class.

She watched intently as Sisquoc held up a basket she had made and explained that baskets, historically, were an important aspect of American Indian life.

"It wasn't just a craft or hobby," she said. "It was integral."

She went on to describe how baskets are still used in daily life, from baby carriers to cooking utensils and containers to hats and accessories to ceremonial gifts at funerals.

And these days, many baskets sit in museums, like the one at the Sherman Indian School. Sisquoc points out that many of them belong in a more important place.

"Some of these need to be back in the landscape," she said. "These were made for California."

Sisquoc will teach another basket weaving class Nov. 20 at the UCR Extension Center in Riverside. For information, call 827-5796.