California Pomo Tribe Hanging Gift Basket with Feathers and Shells [SOLD]

Pomo ceremonial baskets were made in the coiling technique but all other utilitarian baskets were made in the twining manner.  Coiling was reserved for ceremonial baskets such as this one. The gift baskets are among the finest made by the Pomo.  They are covered in beautiful feathers and clam and abalone shells.  Such baskets were made to be burned at funeral ceremonies.  Later they were made as gift baskets.

The traditional land of the Pomo people was the valley of the Russian River and the coastal communities on the Pacific.  Vegetation was luxuriant, both for eating and basket making.  Fish were available and so were deer.  Berries were abundant in the spring.  Now, the land has been dramatically changed.  Highways have been constructed and basketry materials have been flooded out of existence. 

Scarcity of plant materials is primarily responsible for the decrease in basket making.  The women must travel extreme distances to obtain what used to grow on their land.  Additionally, the younger generation is not interested in making baskets.  As a result, basket making is a dying art.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this California Pomo Tribe Hanging Gift Basket with Feathers and Shells is from a gentleman in Colorado

Recommended Reading; Indian Basket Weaving—How to Weave Pomo, Yurok, Pima and Navajo Baskets by Sandra Corrie Newman

Relative Links: Pomo people, basket making