Woven Wonders: Native American Basketry July 7, 2010

Basketry is the world's oldest craft tradition. Present at the dawn of civilization, it survives today with scant technical change yet nearly limitless aesthetic variability. Baskets served all facets of food gathering and production prior to the discovery of pottery making. Beyond the field and hearth, baskets stored household items, from hunting and agricultural tools to clothes, to babies, body adornments, and domesticated animals.