Basket c. 20th century

This basket was created by an artist from the Tohono O’odham, also known as Papago, people of the Sonoran Desert. We can look at how this object creates meaning through its materials, construction, and design. Baskets such as this one have served social and ceremonial purposes in the lives of the O’odham. The weaver uses desert plants to make this basket. The repeating geometric shapes are abstract designs that seem to radiate outwards from the basket's center. The stepped fret design may carry a deep cultural meaning. The study of baskets like this, as preserved in museum collections, has opened up important areas of knowledge about Native American art. By consulting records and anthropologists’ accounts, we can further illuminate the relationship between Indigenous artists, their communities, and their art.