So you have that same shape, that kind of bowl shape
that we've seen some twine baskets in but this is coiled
and you can really see these kinds of ridges, literally coils that run on the outside.
This kind of corrugated surface. And this is an old, old basket
and it's wonderful because it shows you some of the layout of some of the coiled baskets.
So often a time there's a sort of bottom sort of hidden simple kind of bottom design
that I always think of this little hidden treasure that you don't normally see,
but you know the weaver had fun putting it in. So there's the bottom design
and then there's this side, the walls. And then you have often
this kind of rim finish so something that's different on the rim.
This one's almost worn out, but you can see these alternate blocks of color.
When you are making a coil basket, this is the foundation
this is the weaving material. You start with a knot, and you have your foundation material
lay around that knot, and you just keep sewing that foundation material to the coil beneath it
and coiling up your walls that way.
So the thing that is easier with coiled baskets is to add ornamentation.
You can start to add feathers and clam shells and other sorts of things that start to make it a 3-D.
This is a Bullock's Oriole and this is the head of a male Mallard duck.
And then these are quail plumes that are around the edge.
And then it's finished off with a rim of clam shell tiny, tiny, clam shell disc beads.
And usually all of these had a handle and then they were suspended
so that when you looked at it, you looked at it this way, 'cause that's where all the design was.
This overall shape is a very Pomo basket shape.
So this is a boat basket, but we would say this is a negative boat basket
because normally the primary color, you know sort of the background color is this
tan color, which is from sedge roots and so instead of the design really being the dark color,
the background color is dark and the design is the light color
and that's made out of bulrush.
These are clam shell disc beads. Strands of these are a form of currency,
and they have a new material that got adapted very quickly
to ornament Pomo baskets, and those are those glass beads,
So this is a basket that you would give as a gift. Not really gonna be much of a
basket you do things with, it's just a basket that's just like fine china.
It's just meant to be beautiful. So this kind of elongated upside down L
that's the quail plume design so it's the feather on top of the California
quail and that is actually the feather.
You know this kind of diversity of the Pomo basketry we talk about?
Some of that, I think is a real value that Pomo weavers had on trying new things.
Trying to develop designs that were kind of uniquely yours
and playing around with them and seeing
kind of what could do with it all. Challenge yourself.
Not just make the same old thing. This is not just the same old thing.
So this is a three rod coiled basket that is not a traditional basket,
but it was a weaver playing with a, you know, how do you use basketry
to make something in a new shape? And did it quite well I would say.
And this is definitely one of the museum's treasures. This was made by
probably one of the best Pomo weavers ever, a man named William Benson.
It's a stick pin and it is the most amazing piece of weaving
that I think you will ever see.
If you look at how small and how fine that weaving is,
and the material is, and the design is absolutely perfect.
It's taking an old technique and doing something new and
interesting with it and doing it with meticulous and just astounding technical wizardry.
And then our smallest little basket. That little tiny thing in the tube.
Which is if you could look at it with a magnifying glass, a perfect basket shape,
and it has a perfect design on it. I have no idea how the ladies did it,
but that's Pomo basketry for you. So there was definitely,
if nothing else, you know, I hope people look at the baskets
and they see the people who made them because they were amazing artists
and there was a lot of real pride in their craft
and what is was that they were producing
and a lot of love.