Hopi Second Mesa Coiled Plaque with Full Mudhead Image [SOLD]

This Hopi Pueblo basketry plaque features a Koyemsi (Mudhead) Katsina as the focal design.  The outer border is a row of yucca that was dyed black. The weaver very cleverly made the eyes and mouth separate and wove them into the coils as she was weaving in an imbricated manner.  The interior coils were made from yucca, some of which was dyed, and some left in the natural or sun bleached state.   There is further imbrication for the items in his hands and around his skirt.  There is a loop on the back to facilitate hanging.

Coiled basketry of this type is made exclusively in Second Mesa villages on the Hopi Reservation. It is an extremely difficult and time-consuming process. The foundation of the basket is galleta grass and the weft material is yucca leaf. Gathering the materials is spread out over the period of almost a year. The yucca leaves must be gathered at different times of the year to achieve the three natural colors of white, green, and yellow that are used in most baskets. Dye is only used for achieving the rust red and black.

Each stitch of a coil is interlocked into the adjoining stitch of the previous coil. An awl is used to facilitate this. This basket probably took the weaver more than two months to complete the weaving process alone, not counting the months of gathering materials, drying the yucca leaves, then splitting them to a thin, consistent width, dyeing some of them, and preparing the grass for the foundation.

Condition:  this basket is in original excellent condition.

Provenance: this Hopi Second Mesa Coiled Plaque with Full Mudhead Image is from the collection of a gentleman from Santa Fe

Recommended Reading: Hopi Basket Weaving: Artistry in Natural Fibers by Helga Teiwes

Relative Links: Southwest Indian Basketry, Hopi Pueblo, Hopituh Shi-nu-mu