Basket
Artist/Culture
Tohono O'odham (Pima)
or
Native American
Date1800s
Mediumwoven and dyed plant material
Dimensions33 x 19.1 cm (13 x 7 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsCanework
Credit LineGift of David Hale Fanning
Terms
Object number1922.61
DescriptionFret design in black on tan ground. Very good for exhibition.Label TextFor centuries, diverse Indigenous tribes in the American West and Southwest produced baskets out of locally harvested plant materials. Made by women, these items were used in daily life for storage, food preparation, and gift exchange. Notwithstanding such utilitarian functions, the artists incorporated complex decorations into their baskets to express their technical skill and spiritual beliefs. For example, the whirling disk pattern in the Tohono O'odham basket represents the energy of the universe.White settlement, which began in 1769 with the first Spanish mission in present-day San Diego and accelerated rapidly after the 1848 Gold Rush, decimated Native populations throughout the region. To survive, Indigenous artists made baskets for non-Native market, providing a vital source of income as well as cultural continuity for generations-old artistic traditions.ProvenanceOwnership history unknown. David Hale Fanning, Worcester, MA; to Worcester Art Museum, 1922
On View
On viewCurrent Location
- Exhibition Location Gallery 3000
