Posted 5 years ago
SuperVinta…
(18 items)
This looks a bit Mexican but not sure has a wood bottom and pine needles with a Navajo? type design any help would be great! Thank-you in advance
Is this a Navajo Basket? | ||
| Baskets34 of 183 |  |  |
Is this a Navajo Basket? | ||
| Baskets34 of 183 | | |
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Posted 5 years ago
SuperVinta…
(18 items)
This looks a bit Mexican but not sure has a wood bottom and pine needles with a Navajo? type design any help would be great! Thank-you in advance
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Despite the number of baskets you see on line, identified as "Navajo," the Navajo have never been known for their basket weaving. Cultural and religious restrictions on basket making in the 1800s and 1900s, made it very difficult for women to make baskets. Even the baskets the tribe needed for ceremonies were typically traded for or purchased, primarily made by the neighboring Ute and Paiute tribal members.
It wasn't until the late 1960s that Mary Holiday Black, a Navajo woman from Utah, openly began making baskets for sale, and teaching her family members to weave baskets as well. They feature primarily coiled baskets with figural designs, in bright colors. Today, there are a handful of well-known Navajo basket weavers, primarily relatives of Mary Black, or those who have learned from them. Almost every Navajo-made basket will be very well-done, expensive, and will come with the name of the weaver, and usually a photo of her holding the basket.
But you're right. The Navajo didn't make pine needle baskets. (The only tribes that did were the Coushatta and Seminole, and they were taught to do so by missionaries.)
This was probably made by a non-Native American basket maker. There are hundreds of books and kits available on how to make pine needle baskets, plus on-line tutorials. The colored pattern is similar to one used on Pacific Northwest baskets, the split stitch is found on Papago baskets, the pine needle construction started in the Southeast, and what looks like a birchbark base is typical of Northeastern baskets. Highly unlikely it's Native American-made, and definitely not a traditional basket from any Native American culture.
Thanks so much! I think if it was a kit it was someone who knew what they where doing and the metal round bottoms -they went out of their way to add --looks like 1940's era -I appreciate your info .Maybe South American ?