Is this a Native American basket?

Discussion in 'Tribal Art' started by Holzy, Aug 22, 2020.

  1. Holzy

    Holzy Member

    Hi!
    I was wondering if anyone could identify where this basket was made, what it is made out of (raffia?), or what it would be used for.
    Thanks for your help! IMG_8989.jpg IMG_8989.jpg IMG_8991.jpg IMG_8994.jpg
     
  2. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    Not any native that I know.........
     
    Penelope likes this.
  3. Taupou

    Taupou Well-Known Member

    It isn't Native American. No Native American tribe uses this particular combination of weaving material, technique, and form.

    The basket appears to be bundle-coiled, with palm fiber stitching. The way the top coil continues to become a rather free-flowing handle, indicates that this was made primarily as a decorative item, for sale. It isn't a traditional form associated with any basket-making culture.

    It does, however, relate somewhat to the way many Gullah baskets are made. The Gullah people are African-American descendants of the early slave trade in South Carolina, Georgia, and the Sea Islands. They trace their basket-making tradition back to West and Central Africa. Although the materials are local (sweetgrass, palmetto leaves, and black rush) and they use a spaced stitching joining the coils that shows the underlying coil foundation, some of the forms do resemble this basket.

    All things seem to point to a West African source. It may have been made by a creative West African craftsperson, not necessarily following a traditional style.
     
  4. 2manybooks

    2manybooks Well-Known Member

    I was going to say much the same thing as Taupou, but she beat me to it (and said it better). Here are some Gullah baskets from South Carolina which illustrate the coiled handle idea:
    [​IMG]
    https://www.sciway.net/facts/sweetgrass-baskets.html

    But you can also see that the style of spaced stitching is different from your basket. I have not seen this particular form before.
     
    reader, patd8643 and Bakersgma like this.
  5. Holzy

    Holzy Member

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