Vintage Navajo Wedding Basket HUGE 16" Tight Weave - Near Mint/Mint

Description

NAVAJO WEDDING BASKET - 16"
This is a really beautiful and VERY unique patterned Navajo Wedding basket has natural plant dyes, an incredible tight weave, and intricate pattern.
The Navajo Wedding Basket is viewed as a map through which the Navajo chart their lives. The central spot in the basket represents the sipapu, where the Navajo people emerged from the prior world through a reed. The inner coils of the basket are white to represent birth. As you travel outward on the coils you begin to encounter more and more black. The black represents darkness, struggle and pain. As you make your way through the darkness you eventually reach the red bands, which represent marriage the mixing of your blood with your spouse and creation of family. The red is pure.During this time there is no darkness. Traveling out of familial bands you encounter more darkness, however, the darkness is interspersed with white light. The light represents increasing enlightenment, which expands until you enter the all white banding of the outer rim. This banding represents the spirit world, where there is no darkness. The line from the center of the basket to the outer rim is there to remind you that no matter how much darkness you encounter in your world, there is always a pathway to the light. This pathway during ceremonies is always pointed east. The last coil on the basket rim is finished off at this pathway to allow the medicine man to easily locate it in darkness. Additionally the Navajo Ceremonial Basket serves another purpose. In none of the ancient Navajo rites is a regular drum or tom-tom employed. The inverted basket serves the purpose.
From
USU Digital History Collection
-
Traditionally, Navajo baskets were functional containers used for food and water. Baskets also served as objects of trade with neighboring peoples. Although the traditional utilitarian function may have evolved, Navajo baskets are still used for ceremonial purposes. The Navajo wedding baskets (also called Navajo ceremonial baskets), are used in the Kinaaldá (girls’ rites of passage puberty ceremony), weddings, and traditional healing ceremonies. The wedding basket, when inverted, can also be used as a ceremonial drum. In his book, The Dynamics of Folklore: Revised and Expanded Edition by Barre Toelken, 1996, Toelken explains the following about this wedding basket image: “The Navajo wedding basket, made of split strips of the desert sumac, is made mainly by a community of Paiute-Utes who have married into Navajo families in the vicinity of Navajo Mountain in southern Utah. The patterns are variously interpreted as cloud formations, mountains, and gendered colors; the basket is thought to invoke harmony, fertility, and ceremonial stability. The opening in the circle represents the direction east, and is analogous to the hogan's doorway as well as to the birth canal of Changing Woman, principal Navajo deity” (240). While the designs and interpretations of wedding baskets may vary slightly, this common pattern and theme reflects traditional Navajo cultural values and beliefs. The wedding basket represents the creation story of the Navajo people-a “metaphoric representation of the individual life course. It also tells the collective history of the Navajo, and it symbolizes the Navajo homeland. In conjoining these aspects of existence, it expresses the interconnection of individuals with their culture and natural environment.”
http://nanact.org/encounter-the-people/navajo/navajo-basketry.html
. Following are two interpretations of wedding baskets similar to the pattern displayed in the image: Example 1: “The Navajo Ceremonial Basket also called Navajo Wedding basket is viewed as a map through which the Navajo chart their lives. The central spot in the basket represents the sipapu, where the Navajo people emerged from the prior world through a reed. The inner coils of the basket are white to represent birth. As you travel outward on the coils you begin to encounter more and more black. The black represents darkness, struggle and pain. As you make your way through the darkness you eventually reach the red bands, which represent marriage; the mixing of your blood with your spouse and creation of family. The red is pure. During this time there is no darkness. Traveling out of familial bands you encounter more darkness, however, the darkness is interspersed with white light. The light represents increasing enlightenment, which expands until you enter all white banding of the outer rim. This banding represents the spirit world, where there is not darkness. The line from the center of the basket to the outer rim is there to remind you that no matter how much darkness you encounter in your world, there is always a pathway to the light.” Example 2: “The ancient design of the basket is full of imagery that deepens its beauty and holds within it the creation story of the People. The center coil symbolizes creation from which all things are birthed. The outward spiral of the design emulates our journey into wisdom. The starburst represents the union of generations past and present. Every basket has a Gate, which is called the “Sipapu,” a path from the center for the Spirit to come and go. Guardians are woven into the outer ring to stand in protection of the gate. In addition to being the vessel for the wedding cake, the marriage basket is a powerful healing tool used in the Navajo healing ceremonies known as “Sings.” The Marriage Basket also represents the womb from which all things are birthed. The birthing process refers to and includes for example; physical children, a wedding (the birthing of a relationship) as well as our spiritual children; our dreams and visions into actualization. It holds within its structure the balance of the feminine and masculine energy-both energies in proper alignment with which we create new life.”
http://www.nhmu.utah.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/The%20Navajo%20Ceremonial%20Basket%20Interpretations.pdf
(Natural History Museum of Utah).The wedding basket thus visually displays the Navajo creation story with symbolic images woven into its patterns. Navajo stories, legends, and myths depicted in objects such as the ceremonial basket help maintain a shared identity for Navajos-instrumental in preserving Navajo heritage, customs, and beliefs.
If you are a collector of Native American Pottery, Jewelry, Kachinas, baskets, and hard-to-find items, please put us in your favorites so you can be notified of our new items as we list them.
Please check out our other auctions both under
RAINDANCERAUCTIONS
and
LCBERGH
.
Shipping
We DO NOT ship to ANY 3rd party forwarder or 3rd party warehouse shippers who provide overseas forwarding.
We only ship to PayPal verified addresses.
SHIPPING-PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!!
IF
THE
SHIPPING SEEMS REALLY HIGH DON'T LET IT DISSUADE YOU!
SHIPPING IS ALMOST ALWAYS LESS AND WE WILL REFUND OVERAGES THAT SURPASS WHAT IT COSTS US TO SHIP.    (If we
under-guess
, we eat the difference.)
When Listing, we are forced to guess at the weight and size of he box before it's even packed.  We don't package it until it is sold in case there are combined orders or additional questions requiring more photos.
We
DOUBLE BOX
(with a peanut buffer) ALL POTTERY and most baskets.  We've had many, many elated customers who received a severely damaged box, but found their item safe and sound in the inner box. We do not skimp on packing materials, using bubble wrap and popcorn.  We recycle materials whenever possible to be environmentally friendly.
FOR SECURE DELIVERY AND INSURANCE PURPOSES, WE MEET AND SURPASS ALL USPS, FED-EX & UPS MINIMUM PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS.
We normally ship within 1 business day of payment.
However, due to the current conditions, we are asking for up to 3 days to ship your item.   If there is a need to send it right away, please email us and let us know.
Payment
Please pay within 3 days of the end of auction.
ALL SALES FINAL
Please consider the pictures, therefore, 90% of the description.
If you have questions on an item, please ask prior to bidding on it.
We do our best to document our items accurately.  The only reason we will accept a return is if we misrepresent an item by accident.  (I am human.)  Please contact us prior to leaving feedback should this be the case.  We believe that customers deserve a more personalized buying experience and our feedback demonstrates that.  This is our #1 priority.
If there is a hallmark, I will do my best to identify the artist.
Thank you, in advance, for your purchase.