Historic Rectangular Basket, c. 1920
Pima Culture, Arizona
Pima basketry refers to the finely coiled baskets made by the Akimel O'odham (Pima or River People) of central and southern Arizona.
Weavers use a grass or three-rod foundation wrapped with bundles of willow, cattail, and bear grass for the light background. Devil's claw, a native desert pland pod, provides the striking black or dark brown geometric patterns. Unlike stiff rod-foundation Apache baskets, traditional Pima baskets feature a grass foundation that makes them more flexible.
What sets this basket apart is the highly unusual rectangle shape and extremely fine weave.
