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Anishnaabe (Ojibwe) Birch Basket, c. 1930s-1950s

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:50.00 USD Estimated At:100.00 - 200.00 USD
Anishnaabe (Ojibwe) Birch Basket, c. 1930s-1950s
Included in this lot is an unidentified Anishnaabe (Ojibwe) Birch Basket, circa 1930s-1950s, decorated at opposing sides with handpainted symbols of family and a medicine man's "eye". When European explorers arrived in America, Native Americans did not communicate through writing as we know it. Instead, they told stories (oral histories) and created pictures and symbols. Native American symbols were like words and often had one or more definitions and contained different connotations. Varying from tribe to tribe, it can sometimes be challenging to know their meanings, while other symbols are obvious. With the multiple languages spoken by Native American tribes, symbols or “picture writing” was often used to convey words and ideas. Symbols were also used to decorate homes, were painted on buffalo hides, and recorded important events of the tribe. Birch bark baskets have been used for hundreds of years for a number of different applications. Traditionally they were used for carrying food, water and storage. Birch bark is a surprisingly durable material. Natural waxes in the tree make it water proof and when prepared properly even fire resistant. This birch bark basket has a tight construction with the sides and rim held together by woven grasses. Base and sides exhibit splitting cracks as expected for its age otherwise basket is in amazingly good overall condition. The natural hand ground dyes coloured symbols are clear, no fading noted. Basket measures 8.25"L x 8.25"W x 6.5"D approximately.