My mission with this blog is to create the desire to learn more about our "stuff". Those things we often take for granted. Yesterday, I wrote about how my baskets (these beautifully cultural and religiously significant objects) are most often used as inboxes and basic storage containers. I have been taking my baskets for granted.
Archeologists in Upper Egypt have carbon dated baskets to over 12,000 years. Since baskets made of natural fibers which deteriorate over time, scientists have determined basket existence and approximate age by finding imprints of basket weave on remnant clay within ancient city walls.
Isn't that amazing to think? Our baskets, those woven containers we use to store bread and laundry have been around for tens of thousands of years, most made today in the very same exact way.
There are four main types of basket/basket weaves:
Coiled basketry using grasses, rushes, and pine needles. Coil built baskets are made up from a single vertical stitch. The stitches wrap around the horizontally oriented foundation as it spirals outward and upward. This creates the basket’s form and structure. As the coils are wrapped, the coils are interlocked with stitches to the previous rows in order to create the desired decorative effect.
Some of the most notable coiled basket makers come from high in up the Sierra Mountains of California. Both the Kucadikadi and the Maidu weave highly detailed and useful baskets in sizes ranging from thimble-sized to ten or more feet in diameter. The weaving on some baskets is so fine a magnifying glass is needed to see the strands. In addition to making closely woven, watertight baskets for cooking, they made large storage baskets, bowls, shallow trays, traps, cradles, hats, and seed beaters. To make these baskets, they used dozens of different kinds of wild plant stems, barks, roots and leaves.
Examples of coiled basketry:
Plaited basketry involves weaving wide materials, similar in shape to ribbons, such as palm, yucca or flax. Both the stakes as well as the weaving materials are identical, which are then woven together at right angles. The plaiting can be either open or closed. By using variations of the basic plaiting methods as well as thanks to the wide range of materials available, means that each basket can be a unique masterpiece.
*The Maori people of New Zealand are one culture known well for their exquisite plaited basketry.They may be of many sizes, but are most often found in sizes similar to large handbags. These baskets called "kete" are traditionally woven from the leaves of New Zealand flax with two handles at the top. Other materials are sometimes used, including the leaves of the nikau palm and cabbage tree.
In pre-European society, Maori had specific plantations of flax, which was their most important textile. It was prepared by cutting the green leaves close to the base before the leaves were split and woven. Various preparations of the leaves allowed the material to be used both as a hardy flat thick-woven material (as in kete and mats) and also as a fibrous twine, used for creating both rope and finely woven cloaks.
Examples:
Twining basketry uses materials from roots and tree bark. "Twining" actually refers to a weaving technique where two or more flexible weaving elements cross each other as they weave through stiffer radial spokes.
Examples:
Wicker basketry uses reed, cane, willow, oak, and ash. Some of the more notable styles in the United States are the Nantucket and Williamsburg Baskets. Nantucket Baskets are large and bulky, while Williamsburg Baskets can be any size, as long as the two sides of the basket bow out slightly and get larger as it is weaved up.
In this picture, a basket is being made in Hainan, China with bamboo strips. "Twining" is a technique used in most wicker baskets.
Popular styles of wicker baskets are vast, but some of the more notable styles in the United States are Nantucket Baskets and Williamsburg Baskets.
Both twinning and wicker baskets are woven with a more firm reed and are woven together in a lattice type pattern of movement.
Examples:
Learning where baskets come from and who makes them convicts me to look beyond the basic nature of the basket and instead treat them with respect. I can see now how hanging baskets on my walls, searching out antique stores and thrift stores for interesting shapes and sizes could be a preservation of this fine art and challenges me to do more research before stashing them in the basement and watching them collect dust .
Tomorrow I will be sharing some of the trendiest ways in 2020 to display your valuable basket collections...
Nancy Russell
Basket-making is not an exclusive American art form, but in no other country are antique baskets so revered or collected. American basket collectors spend thousands of dollars each year to own early handmade baskets in good condition. Old-time basket makers would be stunned if they knew that the utilitarian objects they made for work are now works of art.
It began with the American Indians. They used the abundant natural grasses and twigs to fashion baskets for their everyday chores. Gathering, storing, carrying and trapping were common uses for their woven items. Even their babies were carried in back baskets while mothers did their chores.
Woven animal and fishing traps were important for survival, too. Some Indian baskets were lined with wet clay to make them watertight for carrying liquids. Others were purposefully woven in an open weave for drainage, drying or sifting. Indians relied on their basket makers to fashion a basket for every need.
The Pilgrims used Indian baskets, too. Even if they had been basket weavers in their home country, the immigrants were no doubt happy to put their skills aside and use the baskets made by their Indian neighbors.
Colonial basket makers were just as clever and proficient. Although the Indians chose reeds, grasses and straw for weaving, the Colonists and pioneers used willow, birch, oak, hickory and ash. Splints from these flexible trees were perfect materials for strong baskets that would last for many years.
Very few tools were required for making a basket. A sharp knife or hatchet was needed to cut limbs from suitable trees. A drawknife was helpful for peeling the splints. Some basket makers created their own specialized tools for making ribs and handles.
Today we are lucky to have modern basket makers who are keeping the art form alive. Many are using the same materials and tools to create baskets much like the ones made years ago. Here in the Midwest, most baskets are made from ash, oak or hickory.
Some modern basket weavers use vines, cord, willow and cattail to add interest to their weaving. Imported materials are used as well. Because today few baskets are used for utilitarian purposes, these decorative baskets are not as strong as their predecessors. One old basket maker whom I was privileged to know used to show the strength of his baskets by standing on them!
If you are interested in collecting antique baskets, it’s advisable to do some research beforehand and be a knowledgeable consumer.
Most important is to buy the oldest and best-quality basket you can afford. It is easy to fake age and wear on a basket, so look for signs of use that are logical. Look for normal signs of wear, but avoid damaged baskets.
The best early baskets have rich color or patina. Check carefully for places that might have been recently repaired. Study the weaving styles and how handles, rims and ribs are attached. Invest in a basket that’s strong.
One of my favorite books is “Collecting Traditional American Basketry” by Gloria Roth Teleki. It’s out of print, but I found several paperback copies by searching booksellers on the Internet. The public library is another good source.
Nancy Russell is co-owner of Friends Together Antiques at 4038 E. Broadway in Columbia. If you have an item for “What is It?” or something about which you would like information, please send a photo and brief description to n.russell@mac.com or to Antiques, Columbia Daily Tribune, P.O. Box 798, Columbia, Mo., 65205.