Native American Tohono O'Odham Made Basket with Turtle

Description

Native American Tohono O'Odham Made Basket with Turtle by David Pecusa

This basket was created by an Native American Hopi and Tohono O'Odham (Papago) basketmaker. The materials are still gathered by hand and consist of beargrass (green), soaptree yucca (white), roots of the banana yucca, and devils claw (black). All of the colors are natural and no dyes are used in these beautiful baskets. This tight bundled basket ha features a turtle, which represents long life and moisture. The inner circle of the basket is water or whirlwind. Some Native Americans believe that we are living on the back of a turtle. The black marks around the side are coyote tracks and the green lines are where the coyote was dragging his prey. This is one of the most tightly woven and beautifully created baskets we have ever seen.