Adobe Gallery Blog

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.

Read more about this basket here..