Posted 5 years ago
carmenisacat
(88 items)
I found this in SE Arizona at a thrift store. I believe it might be 2nd Mesa Hopi but that is only a guess. It does have some age to it, I would guess 30 to 50 years at most. It is in very good condition with some very slight fraying inside the rim. It's about 7" tall by 7 1/2" wide. Any ideas are appreciated...notice the animal figure only has three legs so this is puzzling.
Sorry, but this is not Native American. It is a "southwest style" copy, made for the souvenir market, and sold widely in shops, galleries, and trading posts in the Southwest.
They are made in Pakistan, and also in Botswana, and usually copy actual patterns found on authentic Indian baskets.
The difference is in the materials used. The fakes are made from palm fiber, the authentic Native American baskets will be made from local yucca (not available in Pakistan or Africa.) The stitches on the fakes are also wider, making them faster and easier to weave, and therefore can be sold for a fraction of the price of a Hopi basket, for example.
The Pakistani baskets usually have a herringbone stitched rim, the African ones generally have a coiled self-rim, so this is most likely from Botswana.
Thank you so much for the info! Drat. Oh well, at least it only cost a buck or two hahaha.