Hopi Pueblo Second Mesa Pictorial Deep Basket [SOLD]

One of the ways the Hopi people have preserved traditions is through making baskets and this one has a Katsina face in the design.  Outsiders may view the baskets as curio items or decorative items, but to the Hopi women who make them, they have a very important function in their lives.  Some are made for Hopi use and some are made for sale, but they are made with the same care and carry the same significance.

Second Mesa basketry is made in the same manner as a thousand years ago.  All materials are derived from nature and, in most instances, from the general area of the villages. Dyes used are from plant materials and not commercial sources.

Many designs are used on baskets, but favored designs are those depicting katsina imagery. This basket has the face of a katsina, repeated four times around the basket.

The Hopi Indians have a long tradition of existing in the harsh, dry climate of Arizona where they rely on nature to provide for their livelihood.  They have a strong religious belief demonstrated with their annual Katsina dances and in less visual means.  They have preserved their traditional ways for a thousand years when one would expect that today’s modern culture would have supplanted tradition.

Condition: this Hopi Second Mesa Pictorial Deep Basket is in very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman from Colorado Springs, Colorado

Recommended Reading: Hopi Basket Weaving: Artistry in Natural Fibers by Helga Teiwes

Relative Links: Hopi Indians, Katsina, baskets