Large Genuine Navajo WEDDING BASKET 2917-BSK
A basket of this quality is a rare find. This one belongs in your collection! It was made by the Black family, master Navajo basket weavers from Utah. It was hand woven from the fibers of the young strong stalks of sumac that were hand picked by the water ways of the Utah desert in the spring time. The fibers were then dyed with natural pigments for a variety of vibrant colors. These sumac fibers have been tightly woven creating an intricate traditional multi-color southwestern design. This one has a diameter of 20". There are very few missing stitches. This one comes from the old Apache Turquoise & Case Co. trading post. They used to be one of our main suppliers running out of Phoenix, Arizona, and after a few decades the owner decided to retire from the business. Richard was lucky and fast enough to buy up his old stock leaving us with a giant treasure of high quality items.The members of the Black family of Utah are the best of the best Navajo basket weavers working today. At the head of the family is Mary Holiday Black, she has spent the past half century creating some of the best Navajo basketry this world has ever seen. She's been featured in People Magazine and with good reason. Mary has won the 1995 Utah Governor's Folk Art Award, and in 1996 Hillary Clinton presented her with the $10,000 National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Sally Black has won at the Gallup Ceremonials and she won blue ribbons at the Santa Fe Market and the Heard Museum. Lorraine Black and Peggy Rock Black were invited to give basketry demonstrations at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Clearly the Black family has revived the art of Navajo basket weaving, and they've brought a level of skill and creativity to the art form that the world before has never seen. Baskets were first made at least 9,000 years ago - long before pottery was invented. woven from a variety of plant materials by three basic techniques - plaiting, twining, and coiling - baskets had many uses. Flat trays were used for serving food and for winnowing seeds and parching them with hot coals. Deep baskets covered with resin were made to carry water. Some wee woven very tightly for cooking with hot stones. Others were used for storage or carrying burdens. |