Existing comment:
Pomo (California)
Coiled Gift Basket, 1900
Pomoan baskets were prized possessions among collections from 1890 to 1920, when the basket trade among European-Americans reached its height. To create their wares, Pomoan weavers used a wide variety of native grasses, roots, and brush that they separated into thin splits. Each split was moistened and coiled over willow rods that were the basket's foundation.
Baskets adorned with feathers originally held a societal role of honor among the Pomoans and other central California peoples. Coiled gift baskets such as this were traditionally given to special persons within clans, but were later mass-produced in response to the high demand for Pomoan basketry by collectors. The plumes shown here most likely came from the acorn woodpecker or California quail. The basket is further trimmed with white clamshell disk beads, which were also used as currency in several parts of aboriginal California. |