This Pima (Akimel O'odham) basketry bowl is very traditional in layout and design. It is beautifully woven and has very good stitch and coil count. Moreover the shape of the basket is superb. This basket was clearly woven by a very skilled and experienced weaver. The weaver started with a single stitch in the bottom, then continued by expanding the coils across until she reached the diameter that she was planning. At that point, she stacked the coils so that they would form the walls of the bowl, all the while continuing to develop and expand the design. She finished the basket with a row that is woven with a herringbone stitch.

It is extremely difficult to weave a basket as described above and produce a basket that ends in a perfect circle, all the while weaving the complex design in devil's claw. The stitches are fine and tightly packed and they form a very smooth finish. Baskets such as this are marvels and are not commonly found.

(mc2252)