Tohono O’odham Figurative Female Basket [SOLD]

The Tohono O'odham women were early to realize that non-traditional basket styles would appeal to non-native collectors and tourists.  Starting around the early 1940s, they began to create handbags, coasters, wall pockets, baskets with hoop handles and an amazing variety of effigies: owls, ducks, cacti, turtles, animals and humans.

Effigy basketry is made in the same manner as regular basketry and then adding pieces to represent legs, ears, and other features.  Some effigy baskets were made with removable heads or lids so they could be used as containers.  This charming basket of a female with a flowing skirt has a removable head so the item could be used as a container.

Condition:  The basketry effigy is in excellent overall condition and just slightly soiled with dust.

Provenance: ex.coll. Albuquerque collector of Native American art objects.

Recommended Reading: Southwest Indian Baskets: Their History and Their Makers by Andrew Hunter Whiteford.