Pima (Akimel O'odham) boat-shaped miniature basket
Pima (Akimel O'odham) boat-shaped miniature basket
2 3/4" long x 7/8" wide x 3/8" high
26 stitches per inch and 14 coils per inch
coiled out of willow and devil's claw on bear grass
excellent condition
circa 1900-1920
SOLD
(mc2127)
When the railroads arrived in the Southwest, the people who came in contact with them had an additional way of supporting themselves by utilizing their traditional skills and materials to make objects that they could sell. The Pima have a long heritage of fine basket making and thus the weavers began to make objects that could be easily transported by visitors back to their homes
This basket is one of a group of very fine, quality miniatures that have been in an Eastern collection. All are very tightly woven and shaped with skill that only an experienced weaver had. It is very difficult to weave very small, tightly coiled baskets out of materials that are relatively stiff. This group of Pima baskets currently posted on my website represent baskets of high quality and relative rarity.