Hopi 2nd Mesa Coiled Basket with Katsina Image [SOLD]

A Hopi woman’s life is dedicated to taking care of her husband, children, and, when needed or requested, any number of birth relatives or clan relatives.  It is the woman’s responsibility to take care of preparation and storage of all food after harvest time.  The men do the harvesting, then their work is done and the woman then works nonstop until everything is dried, preserved, and stored for the future.

It is also the woman’s job to make baskets.  Each part of the basket is planned far in advance of starting to weave.  Appropriate grasses must be harvested at the correct season and stored and made ready for use when the time comes. Yucca leaves must be collected, split, dried, dyed and stored until needed.  Once all the materials have been properly assembled and treated, which is done over many months, then she is ready to start the weaving process.  Second Mesa basketry is coiled using the technique of wrapping and interlocking thin strips of the yucca leaf over a bundle of grasses which form the foundation and strength of the finished product.

The colors are limited to what’s available in nature—white, yellow, green, red, and black.  The first three come from the yucca plant.  Red and black are dyed yucca leaves.  The yucca leaves have to be collected at various time of the year in order to have the different colors.  Dyes used for red color come from plants close to the village.  The same plants are used for making a pleasantly tasting tea.

There are many designs used for Hopi basketry, with the decision totally left to the imagination of the weaver. Katsina faces are very popular designs.  This basket features a very stylized version of what may be the Hopi Salako Katsina.  The black stepped elements represent the tableta, the imbricated white crosses decorate the forehead of the katsina and the colorful triangle dropping from the black center is the rainbow element on the chin of the Katsina. 

Condition: the plaque is in excellent condition.  It has a loop on the top from which it may be hung.

Recommended Reading: Hopi Basket Weaving – Artistry in Natural Fibers by Helga Teiwes.  This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery

Provenance: from a gentleman in Colorado who purchased Native craft items when he lived in Albuquerque in the 1970s and 1980s.