Native American Indian Basket
Basket weaving (or basket making, basketry, or basketmaking) is the process of weaving unspun vegetable fibers into a basket. People with the profession of weaving baskets are basketmakers.
The oldest known baskets are (according to radiocarbon dating) between 10,000 and 12,000 years old, earlier than any established dates for archeological finds of pottery, and were discovered in Faiyum in upper Egypt. Other baskets have been discovered in the Middle East that are up to 7,000 years old. However, baskets seldom survive, as they are made from perishable materials. The most common evidence of a knowledge of basketry is an imprint of the weave on fragments of clay pots, formed by packing clay on the walls of the basket and firing.
A Native American Indian Basket is a container which is traditionally constructed from stiff fibres, often made of willow. The top is either left open or the Native American Indian Basket may be fitted with a lid. Wood, bamboo, wheat, other grasses, rushes, twigs, osiers or wicker are often used to make Native American Indian Baskets.The first Native American Indian Baskets were woven by gatherers to collect fruits, grains, nuts and other edible plant materials, as well as for holding fish by early fishing tribes. A creel is a Native American Indian Basket made especially to hold fish.
The plant life available in a region affected the choice of material, which in turn influences the weaving technique of the various Native American Indian Baskets. Rattan and other members of the Arecaceae or palm tree family, the thin grasses of temperate regions, and broad-leaved tropical bromeliads each required a different method of twisting and braiding to be made into an effective Native American Indian Basket.
Although Native American Indian Baskets were traditionally created to serve rather than an aesthetic purpose, the practice of Native American Indian Basket making has evolved into an art. Artistic freedom allows the Native American Indian Basket makers a wide choice of colors, materials, sizes, patterns and details.
Native American Indian Baskets can be classified into four types:
* "Coiled" basketry, using grasses and rushes
* "Plaiting" basketry, using materials that are wide and ribbon-like, such as palms or yucca
* "Twining" basketry, using materials from roots and tree bark. Twining actually refers to a weaving technique where two or more flexible weaving elements ("weavers") cross each other as they weave through the stiffer radial spokes.
* "Wicker" and "Splint" basketry, using reed, cane, willow, oak, and ash
Native American Indian Basket weaving utilizes stakes or spokes and weavers. Stakes/spokes usually form the bottom of the Native American Indian Basket and become the vertical framework for the Native American Indian Basket sides. Round Native American Indian Baskets have spokes; other shapes have stakes (Nantucket baskets use the term "staves"). The weavers fill in the sides of a basket.
The parts of a Native American Indian Basket are the base, the side walls, and the rim. A traditional Native American Indian Basket may also have a lid, handle, or other embellishments.
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