Posted 7 years ago
Paul_Seaton
(1 item)
This basket is a recent find from an antique store in San Anselmo, CA. 9.5" Dia. x 8.5 " H, approx.
"Yanomami means “human being”. The Yanomami are located in the Amazon rainforests of Brazil and Venezuela. The Yanomami are an indigenous tribe, which is made up of subdivisions of Indian villages that live in seclusion.
Each household contains one to six family compartments and live together in a larg circular structure called a Shabono. Social life is organized around kinship relationships, descent from ancestors, and marriage. They are hunters and gatherers and tend small garden plots. The Yanommami are believed to be the most primitive, culturally intact people in the world and the last culture to come into contact with the modern world." — https://www.arte-amazonia.com/shop/amazon-baskets/yanomami-baskets/
No, not Native American. This is a traditional burden basket, made by the women of the indigenous Yanomami (various spellings) people of the Amazon rain forest of Brazil and Venezuela. It's contemporary, they are still making them today. Sale of the baskets is a major source of income, and one of the few ways women have to earn money.
That is one very interesting basket!! Great write up.