Hand Made Chippewa/Ojibwa Seed Basket w/Agate & Sinew, Pine Needle, Weaving

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Hand Made Chippewa/Ojibwa Seed Basket w/Agate & Sinew, Pine Needle, Weaving :
$45.00

Up for sale is an astonishing piece of handy work that combines all of the earths natural resources like sinew made from the tendons or ligaments (the white strands) of small animals that are tanned and used by for weavers, dried pine needles from fir trees (the russet stands) , and even a thin sliced, highly polished, agate (pictured #1 & #2 front & back). This is a multipurpose basketmade by a Chippewaalso known as an OjibwaIndian one of the largest groups of American Indians in North America and Southern Canada. The tribes are found in states like Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Ontario Canada.

The basketbegins at its center with a slice of raspberry red agate a stone derived from quartzwith concentric ripples in it that has been highly polished by a Native American trained inlapidary the art of cutting, grinding, and polishing stone into shapes(note the eye of the agate dead center).Around this thin slice of agate are tiny holes that have been drilled into it again, by a lapidary and this is where the weaving begins (zoom in picture #2 underside of agate).

The weaver usually, a woman, begins to thread the tiny holes around the agatewith long strands of sinew a tendon that is now used as thread.Her pattern will be woven outward and fine, dried,scotch pine needles that are now russet colored rather than fresh green ones will be entwined by the over lay of the sinew giving this basket a very natural look to it. The sinew forms the beautiful pattern much like a \'lace doily\' and the pine needles help shape the basket and give form to it and make it sturdy for carrying things in it mainly seeds for planting in the Spring time (pictured #3).

The basket measures 11\" across X 9\" wide X 1 1/4\" deep. It is in superb condition.Baskets like this one are in short supply as basket weaving is vastly becoming a dying art as weavers have diminished over the years and manufactured baskets that all look alike are taking their place. Sadly enough, thisbasket survived and a little Indian lady here in NorthernMinnesota still carries onthis centuries old tradition called basket weaving and I paid a small fortune for it. I am offering it for sale as I have changed my decorating schema from a primitive native style to a super contemporary one and the basket looks out of place.

Baskets like this one make wonderful wall art, displayed resting on an easel, hung in a grouping of baskets in the kitchen/dining area, in an artifact cabinet as a display piece or anywhere a little bit of the native, natural world fit into your decorating scheme.

Any questions? Email me right away!