Basketry in the Southwest

Basket making was one of the earliest skills developed since baskets were needed for carrying goods, for storage, for trapping and fishing, and for religious ceremonies.  Unlike pottery, baskets do not survive for extended periods of time.  Most that are available today were constructed in the last 120 years, particularly after native people in the Southwest began to make baskets with the idea of selling them and moved baskets into the category of artistic collectables.  Those made between 1880 and 1930 tend to be the most valuable, particularly if they are in good condition, well-made, and have an interesting design, but these latter factors can make any basket desirable.

One can quickly summarize baskets by type and construction, but the strongest interest has been in understanding tribal variations since different tribes used different materials, different construction styles, different quality and particularly different decorations.  As a result, the following offers some general comments on the first two issues and then seeks greater detail on tribal variation.

Types

Trays and bowls are the most common forms, but there are a few unusual types of baskets:

Ollas ( prounced "oy-yuh" , a Spanish word meaning jar with a neck and mouth) This Olla shape was conducive to storing grain with less spillage.  The first three pictures reflect variations. 

Burden baskets are simply designed to ease the burden of a heavy load.  Many hang over the head and rest on the person’s back.  The conical shape conforms to a person’s back and evenly distributes the load’s weight.  The Apache ones add tin cones that are noisy and seem effective in scaring away snakes.  The second set of three pictures above includes two of the conical ones and an older one that narrows a bit at the top.

Plaques are flat and often are used for decoration.  They are commonly made by the Hopi.    

Cradle boards are another form of basket that is used to carry a child supported against a stiff board.  The child is tightly wrapped against the board giving a sense of security and freeing the person carrying the child to do other things with her hands.  Again, decoration became more important as they became collectibles.  

Water jugs were covered with pitch so the basket would hold liquids.  Carrying liquid in a coated basket makes the burden much lighter than what it would be if the liquid were carried in pottery.

Construction

There are a small number of basic methods for making baskets, but each option can be varied based on materials and factors like the thickness of the stitch or by varying over and under patterns.

The most common is coiling [click for more information.]

Another common process is called twining [More information]

Two others methods are plaiting and wicker.[More information on these types]

[Click here for more information on preparing the materials.]

Tribal Characteristics

The most valuable baskets are those made by the Apache and Yavapai.  Both tribes traveled a lot probably making well-built baskets more important, but, in the latter part of the 1800’s, the two groups were forced onto the same reservation in the desert near San Carlos.  In this unpleasant harsh life, the women had a chance to share techniques although both groups maintained their own style.  After they were allowed to return to reservations in their more traditional areas, both groups recognized that they could generate a modest income by selling their baskets and production increased.

Click on each tribe for more information: Apache, Yavapai, Hopi, Navajo or Dine’, Tohono O’Odham, Akiel O’Odham,

Click here to see a Bibliograpohy on this topic.