Elene Atokuku
Comanche /
Turtle
(special danced
item*)
7" Diameter
x 1 1/2" Deep
* This special basket was woven by Elene Atokuku from
the village of Shungopavi at Second Mesa for her sons who danced
in a recent kachina dance. They carried these baskets in their
hands, as certain kachinas sometimes do.
You'll notice various aspects
of this basket are different from typical Hopi coil baskets.
It has a traditional, hand-made handle attached to the back and
a feather tuft attached to the front. The feather IS NOT an eagle
plume - as that was removed before Elene offered this piece for
sale. She replaced the eagle feather with a turkey plume.
Another special feature of
this basket is the design within a design. Here you can see a
small coil turtle design within the "hair whorl" of
the Comanche warrior - which is the main them of the basket.
This is a very unique and special opportunity to collect an authentic
part of Hopi art, history, and culture.
Native American basketry is
one of the earliest art forms. The Indians made them as utilitarian
pieces for storage, holding water and even cooking.
Basketry is an ancient craft
of the Indian people; it even precedes pottery making. Baskets
used for cooking were lined with clay, and water vessels were
covered with pine pitch. Today basket making has developed into
a fine art, that few Native Americans continue to practice.
Where baskets were once a
common item among all tribes, the art has now disappeared among
many Native Americans, and the handful of weavers that continue
this ancient craft are few and far between.
Hopi basket weavers are considered
some of the best in North America. They produce baskets in three
different techniques.
On Second Mesa the Hopi weavers
specialize in Hopi Coil basketry. Hopi coiled baskets are woven
by wrapping bundles of plant material with a single piece of
plant material usually yucca. The colors are usually limited
to white, yellow, green, red and black. Designs you often find
on these beautiful baskets are Katsina, animals, blanket, and
geometric designs.
On Third Mesa the Hopi weavers
specialize in wicker basketry. They make wicker plaques, cradles
and burden baskets by weaving flexible stems of local plants,
such as rabbit brush, scrub sumac and arroyo willow, over and
under stiffer support stems. There are many colors and designs
used in wicker plaques and baskets.
Women on all three mesas make
plaited sifter baskets. These baskets are made by plaiting yucca
fibers, either natural or dyes, to achieve many designs. Many
of the Hopi wickers, coils, and sifters are used for social or
ceremonial purposes.
