Traditional Ceremonial Baskets of the Diné [SOLD]

The Navajo ceremonial basket, commonly called the wedding basket, is used by medicine men in all sorts of ceremonies.  The rim of the basket always ends at the same point at the ceremonial line break in the pattern.  This allows the medicine man, in a dark hogan, to find the ceremonial line break by running his fingers around the rim until he finds the end point.

The distinctive feature of older baskets—and these are older—is the single- or two-rod foundation, resulting in a finer weave and smoother walls than the later three-rod foundation. This appears to be a two-rod foundation.  The rims are always woven in a herringbone pattern. This is a distinctive Diné characteristic that was eventually adopted by the Paiute when they started making wedding baskets for the Diné.

In Navajo baskets, the only colors are black and a deep, russet red. Black is made in several ways, resulting in a range of colors from dark gray to jet. The red results from a mixture of juniper root, mountain mahogany root, alder bark, and burnt juniper needles.

These four baskets date to the mid-20^th century.  Can be bought individually, but the group price is $1195.

Item #C3909          J     /    K   /   L    /   M

Individual Prices: $350/ $325/ $295/ $250

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from the inheritance of a daughter of the Balcomb family, owners of several art galleries of Native American art and objects in the post-WWII era until the 1970s when they closed their last gallery.

Recommended Reading: Navajo Ceremonial Baskets: Sacred Symbols Sacred Space by Georgiana Simpson