Navajo Wedding or Ceremonial Basket [SOLD]

Navajo Ceremonial Baskets, commonly called Wedding Baskets, are constructed with a rod foundation of willow or sumac. The background or light color in the basket is natural sumac. The black and red are dyed. The black dye is derived from sumac leaves, twigs and berries crushed and boiled with a powder made from melted piñon and roasted ocher. The red comes from boiled mountain mahogany roots to which are added ashes of twigs of juniper and powdered bark of black alder.

The design involves a plain center, an area above that consisting of a repeated series of stepped black elements which join a series of plain red bands, above which is another series of black stepped elements. Finally, the outer area is again plain to the braided rim. An opening, or ceremonial break, penetrates the black and red designs and always extends to the end of the braided rim. One very simple interpretation is that the inner black steps represent the underworld, the red band is the earth and life, and the outer black steps stand for the upper world. The center spot in the basket represents the beginning of this earth as the Navajo emerged.

Navajo baskets are made for ceremonial use by the Navajo. In addition to their wedding function, they are used by Medicine Men in healing ceremonies and blessing ceremonies. A ceremonial basket made and used in a ceremony has a very special meaning to the Navajo. They are not to be used as art objects, nailed to the wall for display, or treated in any other distasteful manner. The center of the basket represents the emergence hole. One would not want to drive a nail through it. The exception is that those made for sale and not for ceremonial use, have no such restrictions, although the Navajo believe it is better to hang it from a string than to drive a nail into the center. The basket represents the earth and should be treated with respect.

A ceremonial basket used by a Medicine Man for a ceremony has a spirit that it retains so long as the Medicine Man retains it. Should he take it to the trading post and pawn or sell it, then it loses that spirit and is just a basket. If he or another Medicine Man retrieves the basket for use in another ceremony, then it again possesses a spirit.

This basket shows no evidence of having been used in any Navajo ceremony, so it was most probably made to be sold. It is about 30 or so year’s old but is in original excellent condition.