Basket-weaving traditions

Basket-weaving Basket-weaving is one of the oldest known Native American crafts--there are ancient Indian baskets from the Southwest that have been identified by archaeologists as nearly 8000 years old. As with most Native American art, there were originally multiple distinct basketry traditions in North America. Different tribes used different materials, weaving techniques, basket shapes, and characteristic patterns

Northeast Indian baskets traditionally made out of pounded ash splints or braided sweetgrass

Southeast Indian baskets traditionally from bundled pine needles or rivercane wicker. Northwest Coast Indians typically weave with cedar bark, swamp grass, and spruce root.

Southwest Indians Southwest and California Indians make baskets from tightly coiled sumac, yucca, or willow wood,Southwest and California Indians make baskets from tightly coiled sumac, yucca, or willow wood, Hopi, Navajo, Paiute, Apache and Tohono O'odam (Papago) produce the hand-woven baskets that we use as a selection baseHopi, Navajo, Paiute, Apache and Tohono O'odam (Papago) produce the hand-woven baskets that we use as a selection base

Traditions Passed down by the women in the family In earlier days, baskets accompanied Indian people throughout their lives Babies were carried in baskets, meals were prepared and cooked in them, worldly goods were stored in them, and people were buried in them.

Basket-weaving Today Today, baskets serve as markers of cultural pride and inheritance. Some are used on religious occasions. And hundreds of weavers make baskets for sale.

Weaving techniques Basket weaving techniques Four basic weaving techniques are used to construct baskets: wicker, plaiting, twining, and coiling

Coiling Coiling begins at the center of a basket and grows upon itself in spiral rounds, each attached to the round before In coiling, designs are not made by changing the weave, but rather by using a different color sewing thread.

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