20" TANZANITA PESATA JACARILLA APACHE POLYCHROME LIDDED HAMPER BASKET,MUSEUM PCE

Description

THIS
AUCTION FEATURES A RARE MUSEUM PIECE. IT IS AN ANTIQUE LIDDED, JICARILLA APACHE, HAMPER BASKET. IT IS HUGE, AND STANDS APPROX 20" TALL, AND IS APPROX 12 1/2" IN DIAMETER AT THE TOP. IT WAS MADE OF WILLOW AND SUMAC, AND HAS 2 SLOTS IN THE BASKET WALL-ONE ON EACH SIDE-FOR HAND-HOLDS. IT HAS MISSING STITCHES AND FADING-SEE PICTURES, CONSISTENT WITH AGE. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SAME ARIZONA FAMILY FOR DECADES. MOST OF THESE RARE FORMS ARE IN GALLERY AND MUSEUM COLLECTIONS. READ BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ITS ATTRIBUTED WEAVER, TANZANITA PESATA (1885-1968). THIS BASKET WAS FIRST COLLECTED IN DULCE, NEW MEXICO, ON THE JICARILLA APACHE RESERVATION.
FINE BASKET WEAVING HAS BEEN A JICARILLA APACHE TRADITION FOR MANY CENTURIES, BUT THE BEAUTY AND QUALITY OF THE BASKETS WAS NOT WELL RECOGNIZED UNTIL THE 1950'S , WHEN TRADERS OF THE AREA BEGAN TO ENTER THE BASKETS IN THE GALLUP INTER-TRIBAL INDIAN CEREMONIAL.
THE WORK OF BASKET MAKER TANZANITA PESATA (1885-1968) STANDS OUT FROM THIS ERA. PESATA BEGAN TO EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT COLORS AND FORMS. IN ADDITION TO TRADITIONAL PLANT AND MINERAL DYES, SHE USED ANILINE DYES THAT HER NAVAJO NEIGHBORS WERE USING TO DYE YARN FOR RUGS. AS THE OUTSIDE MARKET OPENED, TANZANITA BEGAN TO IMPROVISE BY MAKING OBJECTS FOR TOURISTS. SHE MADE DEEP BOWLS, FISHING KREELS, AND LARGE HAMPERS WITH LIDS. SHE USED TRADITIONAL GEOMETRIC DESIGNS AS WELL AS ADDING MOTIFS OF HER OWN IMAGINATION. THIS LARGE HAMPER BASKET IS THE FINE WORK OF TANZANITA PESATA.
THE  JICARILLA  APACHE RESERVATION IS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. THE NAME JICARILLA COMES FROM THE SPANISH WORD, "LITTLE BASKET".