Hopi Third Mesa Wicker Plaque with Concentric Circles [SOLD]

Basket makers at Hopi specialize in two styles of weaving.  At the Second Mesa villages, the basket makers use bundles of rabbit grass surrounded by split yucca leaves. At Third Mesa villages, they used willow, scrub sumac and Rabbit brush.  At both mesas, they use aniline dyes, but mostly at Third Mesa, as Second Mesa baskets have fewer colors. 

This Third Mesa plaque is a style used in women’s social dances, during plaza ceremonies where baskets are thrown down on the men in the plaza by women from rooftops, and as payment to the family of the groom for their effort in weaving all the future bride’s clothes. The groom’s family then sells the baskets for reimbursement.

Hopi Pueblo Third Mesa baskets are dyed with aniline dyes, usually in rather bright colors which tend to fade during daily exposure to light after which the colors are soft and mellow.  The basket dates to the mid-20th century.

Condition:  The plaque is in very good condition.  There is some very minor fading of the colors.

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

Provenance: ex.coll. Santa Fe current resident