Basketry

…“One could say that the natural fibers of which basketry items are made are symbols of the fibers that bind Hopi society and culture together. Basketry provides the wares for Hopi generosity, for giving thanks and appreciation, and for carrying and presenting food and good intentions to interrelated families and clans…”

Hopi basketry once allowed grains and trade goods to be transported. No longer a necessity, basketry has involved into an enduring art form on the Three Mesa Hopi Reservation in Arizona. Basketry has come to symbolize traditional bonds in ceremonies and family connections, and creates wealth through sales to trading posts and collectors.

from HOPI BASKET WEAVING
by Helga Teiwes

Third Mesa specializes and excels in wicker basketry. Several plant stems form the warp (rabbitbrush, sumac or arroyo willow) and the weft is the single stem of a flexible plant, such as Paryella filifolia (siwi). These finely woven baskets obtain their delicate colors from plants gathered by the basket maker, which are boiled into teas for dyeing. Green is derived from the yellow sivaapi plant plus indigo, or from snakeweed. White comes from sivaapi soaked in kaolin clay), Deep blue from indigo and azurite, and black from aniline dyes, are the only two colors no longer produced by the basket maker. Black is still sometimes made the old-fashioned way, from sunflower seed tea.

SECOND MESA COILED BASKETRY

Second Mesa basket makers specialize in coiled trays, baskets, deep baskets and miniature baskets. All made from the yucca plant. Coiling differs from wicker in that the warp is a bundled set of galleta grass (soho) around which the weft of flattened, split and trimmed yucca leaves is wound, forming a spiral pattern. The spiral is symbolic of traditional themes such as convergence of tribal energies, emergence of peoples from Mother Earth, and the outflowing power of the earth’s forces.

The white, fresh yucca shoots gathered in spring form the primary weaving for coiled baskets. Yellow leaves are gathered during the summer months. Green leaves are the result of winter frosts, red results from bathing yucca leaves in Navajo tea (siita) or Hopi tea (hohoisi). Seasonal outings for gathering yucca leaves form a bond between the basketmakers. Their art requires patience in finding the right materials under the right conditions, then trimming, drying and dyeing the yucca. By the time enough material is gathered for baskets, months may have passed and friendships have been renewed.

FIRST MESA PLAITED BASKETRY

First Mesa baskets are plaited, the warp and weft being from the same plant. Again, yucca is the leaf of choice and is woven flexibly in diamond shaped pattern. The outside, green-colored leaf forms the pattern against the inside, white-colored leaf. With two colors, an amazing variety of designs are created. First Mesa baskets are also called “sifter” baskets as they were once used for winnowing grains. Today, sifter baskets are used in ceremonies and dances for storing and holding objects used in rituals.

Coiled, wicker and plaited Hopi baskets are formed into a variety of shapes: plaques, burden baskets, trays, deep baskets, mini baskets and cradles. Plaques especially are ceremonial items used to mark special events, ritual passages, or to repay favors. A Hopi bride, whose bridal gown is made by the groom and his family, repays her in-laws for their careful and elaborate work by making many plaques - sometimes as many as 150. Baskets and plaques are used in coming-of-age ceremonies, or as birthday gifts. As the child, usually a maiden, matures, the basketry items become larger and more elaborate as she matures.

NAVAJO BASKET MAKING

Navajo basket making has undergone a rebirth in the last twenty years, largely due to the talents and teachings of Mary Holiday Black and members of four families, which create most of the pieces. Prior to this resurgence in basket making, the Navajo purchased coiled ceremonial baskets from the Southern Paiutes and Utes, whose work conformed to a style and form acceptable to the Navajo. The Navajo, and Apache people, originally learned basket making from the Pueblo Indians. Coiled pieces originally used the two-rod and bundle formation, which later evolved into a three-rod bundled formation. Coiled trays were favored, as were coiled water jugs lined with pitch. Wicker plaited baskets were used for carrying goods. Burden baskets were made to gather yucca fruit. These were strapped to the back of a horse or were carried by the fruit picker.

Navajo basket making evolved in four phases. Before 1868, little basketry was found at abandoned campsites and these were most probably purchased from other tribes. After the Bosque Redondo relocation of the Navajo people, metal containers introduced by the Europeans did away with basket making of containers. Ceremonial plaques and trays were still being made for religious rituals. In the early 20th century, basket making almost disappeared because taboos were placed on Navajo basket makers who stifled productivity and creativity. In 1966, basket-making classes were instituted at local schools, and Mary Holiday Black emerged as the creative force which still influences modern Navajo basketry.

Sumac is the preferred material for Navajo basket makers, largely due to an old taboo that states the weaver will go blind if willow is used. Sometimes yucca is substituted for sumac. Mary Holiday Black and her daughter, Sally, forego natural dyes and use Rit dyes with natural additives. Three, five and sometimes seven rod bundles form the foundation. The coils are created from right to left. Stitches are very regular and have a smooth feel. As the left hand holds the coiling rods, the right hand holds the awl, which is used to punch holes in the work surface. The sewing strand is threaded through the hole made by the awl and pulled through. The Navajo wedding basket is the most famous design and is often copied. It depicts the white center of the earth, a ring of stepped mountains and a break in the design which allows the spirit to emerge as did the Navajo from previous worlds into this one, according to legend.

Hopi Wicker Plaque	Navajo Wicker Basket	Wedding Basket
Maze