Vintage Wabanaki Hong Kong Cord Basket
$300.00
Vintage Wabanaki Hong Kong Cord Basket
The traditional materials for Wabanaki (Maine Indian) baskets are black ash and sweetgrass. Around the 1920s, some weavers began using Hong Kong cord in place of sweetgrass. The cord was easy to obtain and saved a lot of time compared with harvesting and processing sweetgrass. This enabled basket makers to step up the pace of production and create more baskets for sale. Use of Hong Kong cord continued until at least the early 1960s, and eventually dwindled away.
This basket, while uncertain in origin, is quite possibly Passamaquoddy, based on the general design and, specifically, the “frog” handle. The handle is woven from sweetgrass, while the rest of the braided material is Hong Kong cord.
9 1/2 inches in diameter x 4 1/8 inches high
In stock
Vintage Wabanaki Hong Kong Cord Basket
The traditional materials for Wabanaki (Maine Indian) baskets are black ash and sweetgrass. Around the 1920s, some weavers began using Hong Kong cord in place of sweetgrass. The cord was easy to obtain and saved a lot of time compared with harvesting and processing sweetgrass. This enabled basket makers to step up the pace of production and create more baskets for sale. Use of Hong Kong cord continued until at least the early 1960s, and eventually dwindled away.
This basket, while uncertain in origin, is quite possibly Passamaquoddy, based on the general design and, specifically, the “frog” handle.
9 1/2 inches in diameter x 4 1/8 inches high
| Weight | 3 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 10 × 10 × 10 in |
