Thanksgiving Thoughts--Baskets and Fetishes


Next week, many of us will celebrate a well-known North American holiday--Thanksgiving. Depending on which part of the country you live in, various foods will be served and traditions honored. Most will include some type of bird, dressing (often made from cornbread), other vegetables and salads, and popular desserts such as pumpkin or pecan pies. As we celebrate, we take the opportunity to be thankful for our families, the food we are able to share, and the earth around us. We do all this with the original Thanksgiving story in mind. If we have young children, they have surely brought home construction paper works of art--turkeys, pumpkins and/or pilgrims, accompanied by the stories of the first settlers and their joyful feast with the Indians.

With Thanksgiving in mind, one collectible that seems especially appropriate is the Apache Burden Basket. Used since early times, the basket provided the best means in which to carry the objects of the nomadic tribe. The Burden Baskets were also used as cooking pots, water jugs and platters to serve on.

Often made with strips of Cottonwood, Willow, Mulberry and Devil's claw bush, the baskets are then decorated with buckskin and tin cone jingles.

According to the Anasazi Trading Post, "each Apache basket is a prayer for the good of the earth, the mountains, the people and the rain." The size of the basket also depicts its meaning. The smallest is a medicine basket, the medium size is a wedding basket, cigarette basket and gift basket, and the large baskets are the Burden Baskets and the Bread Basket. In earlier times, the baskets were made big enough to carry wood and goods harvested from the fields.

As I've mentioned before, the scarcity of authentic Native American products means they are not, or should not be, cheap. The Burden Baskets are no exception. So with that in mind, consider these truly exquisite, high quality baskets.

The Mary Jane Dudley Apache Burden Basket: Considered one of today's best weavers of contemporary Apache burden baskets, Mary wraps willow into well-shaped baskets featuring fine pictorial elements such as a friendship dance, butterflies, or deer.

The Caroline Henry Burden Basket: This basket has an intricate zigzag design and is beautifully made. It is also a slightly larger size than typically seen today.

A Different Thanksgiving Story
Thanksgiving was my father's favorite holiday, and until he died in 1988, that was the one holiday he always wanted our family to celebrate together. I love our Thanksgiving story, and I've always found much to be thankful for. However, here is a Thanksgiving story many of us have never heard. Something to consider.
The copyright of the article Thanksgiving Thoughts--Baskets and Fetishes in Native-American Crafts is owned by Edwina Lewis. Permission to republish Thanksgiving Thoughts--Baskets and Fetishes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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