Yokuts Bottleneck Jar Basket [SOLD]

The Yokuts, whose members traditionally spoke the Yokutsan language lived in the central San Joaquin Valley region of California.  Their territory stretched roughly from Stockton in the north down to Bakersfield in the south.  They were formerly called the Tulare Indians by the Spanish settlers, meaning "people of the tules," tule being a type of marsh plant found in the shallow lakes and wetlands that once existed throughout traditional Yokuts territory. They were at one time a very large tribe with estimates of 25,000 to 35,000 people in 1772 when the Spanish first arrived in the area. Today their population has shrunk to a fraction of that number.

The Yokuts were well known for their beautifully woven polychrome baskets with some of the very finest North American Indian baskets coming from the hands of Yokuts weavers.  These bottleneck baskets were called "os'a" by the Yokuts who, along with a small number of other California tribes, wove these as ceremonial baskets and also as treasure baskets to hold valued objects.  These treasure baskets are highly sought after by collectors, being greatly valued not only for their grace and beauty, but also for their ceremonial usage where they were employed to contain and restrain rattlesnakes during certain rites.

The design on the shoulder and body of this basket is that of a rattlesnake.  It alternates with a red diamond center and black triangles and encompasses a complete circle.  The basket has a flat bottom that is in perfect condition.  The body expands from a base diameter of 4-1/4 inches to a maximum body width of 7-3/4 inches.  The sloped shoulder measures 2-1/8 inches and the collar neck is 5/8 inches.

Condition: overall very good condition with one missing stitch on the shoulder and a few missing stitches on the neck.  Since the missing stitches are not grouped together, they are not significantly noticeable.

Recommended Reading: Handbook of Yokuts Indians by Frank Latta.  This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery

Provenance:  from a family in Colorado