1

Love it

0

Like it

Add to collection

This is my Navaho wedding basket, probably made around the 1930's or so. It is about 15 inches in diameter. The side that shows is faded, due to it's age. These baskets are made with Sumac and then dyed with natural colors. Navajo baskets are usually made with a two-rod-and-bundle-coiled technique. The rim is always characterized by a "false braid" or "herringbone" finish, and the center start may consist of a knot. "Some Navajo basketry starts, however, may consist of a round coiled self-start instead of a knot. All of these traits are found in ancient Puebloan basketry. Enjoy the pics.

"The traditional Navajo basket design with the red, white, and black colors. The black design symbolizes the darkness (night) and clouds that bring the rain. The white part inside the black design represents the sacred mountains. Usually, there are four or six points in this part to designate the sacred mountains. If there are four points then they represent the four sacred mountains. If there are six points then two more sacred mountains are added. The outside white area represents the dawn and is tied together with the outside rim which represents a person's thoughts, prayers, and values. The red part within the black design represents the lifegiving rays of the sun" (Ben Gorman, Navajo artist).