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Artworks
UNIDENTIFIED NUU-CHAH-NULTH or MAKAH ARTIST
Lidded Basket, c. 1950natural and dyed bear grass, spruce root, and split cedar bark, 2.75 x 5.25 x 5.25 in (7 x 13.3 x 13.3 cm)
decorated to the lid and sides with concentric bands and geometric designs.Further images
While the technique is born of practicality, the delicacy of this basket's weave speaks to a skilled, practiced hand. Sometimes known as 'pika-uu' in Nuu-chah-nulth, which means 'trinket basket,' these...While the technique is born of practicality, the delicacy of this basket's weave speaks to a skilled, practiced hand. Sometimes known as "pika-uu" in Nuu-chah-nulth, which means "trinket basket," these types of small lidded baskets became a staple of the trade economy along the northwest coast. The use of a tight, coiled twining technique made baskets watertight and waterproof, a selling point for a basket to safeguard one's treasures.
Literature
References: For a discussion of Nuu-chah-nulth and Makah basketry see Allan Lobb, Indian Baskets of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska (Portland, OR: Graphic Arts Center Publishing, 1990), pp. 40-46.
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