Woven basket (Yungnapu)

Woven Basket (Yungnapu)

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Technique and Dimensions:

Sumac, rabbit brush and yucca

Location:

A.dalla Volta 18, 1953

Provenance:

Donated by the Amici del Castello D’Albertis (1999)

This wicker basket was woven by the Hopi tribe in the villages of Terza Mesa. It uses sumac (Rhus Hirta) for the warps, rabbit brush (Chrysothamnus Nauseosus) for the wefts, and yucca (Yucca Angustissima) to close off the edges. The long rabbit brush shoots are washed, dyed, and tied in bundles to be stored until use. The circular motif represents the beautiful earth, with raindrops figured as white spots on a black background, while the small squares represent clouds arriving from different directions and the yellow suggests the sun. The four raised points denote the different cardinal points in the Hopi tradition. The external ring, the wicker basket's closure, repeats the cloud motif from the interiror on a smaller scale.

A. dalla Volta 18, 1953