Hopi Second Mesa Basket with Mudhead Design [SOLD]

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 is 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, dying some of them, and preparing the grass for the foundation.

This plaque features a Koyemsi (Mudhead) Katsina as the focal design.  The outer border is an alternating row of black and yellow yucca. The weaver very cleverly made the eyes and mouth separately and wove them into the coils as she was weaving in an imbricated manner.  There is a loop on the back to facilitate hanging.

Condition:  The basket is in original excellent condition

Provenance: estate of former Albuquerque collector