Attu Treasure Basket, c. 1950
by Sophia Pletnikoff (1908-1983)
Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Attu rye grass, silk threads
2 3/4” high x 2 2/4" diamete
Mint condition
Aleut basket weaver Sophia Olga Pletnikoff was born in the Aleutian Islands in 1908. Her family eventually settled in Unalaska where Sophia learned the traditional basket weaving from her ancestors. Unfortunately, she had an interruption of her traditional life when she was relocated to an internment camp in SE Alaska during World War II.
Upon her return home, Sophia rarely harvested basket grass in Unalaska because she no longer knew where the prime grass grew and she had no wish to infringe on any weaver’s “home turf.” Her baskets can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of the Aleutians, Unalaska, AK; Alutiiq Museum, Kodiak, AK; and the Alaska State Museum, Juneau, AK.
