Akimel O'odham (Pima) Basket with Blue Padre Beads

This exquisite Akimel O'odham (formerly Pima) basket is typical of the style and size made in the early 1900s as items for sale to visitors to their villages. The excellent designs of this bowl were executed with devil's claw. All materials used are of natural origin without the use of dyes.

The design begins with the circular center and expands out in a rotating manner to engage with the primary design of whirling logs, sometime known as swastikas. From the base leg of this design is a continuation to a diamond which outlines a cross element just below the basket rim.

The exciting aspect of this basket is the rim construction. As the rim was wrapped in devil's claw, blue "padre beads" were woven into the rim. Padre beads are glass trade beads originally imported especially to the Americas by Spanish missionaries, monks, friars, and traders. Basket makers were fond of using these beads in their basket designs. It is rare to find a basket with all the beads in excellent condition.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Akimel O'odham (Pima) Basket with Blue Padre Beads is from a private collection

Recommended Reading:  Indian Baskets of the Southwest by Clara Lee Tanner

TAGS: Akimel O´odham - Pima, Southwest Indian Basketry, Papago, Apache