Makah Basket Woven Over Japanese Glass Fishing Float

Mid 20th Century

3.75" H x 3.5" D

Hand Crafted Basket over a Japanese Fishing Float with a Base and Weaved in Bird Motifs

In Very Good Condition

A Makah (or closely related Nuu-chah-nulth) basket finely woven around a Japanese glass fishing float. The Makah people, from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state (around Neah Bay), have a long tradition of intricate basketry using materials like cedar bark, beargrass, and grasses. In the 19th and 20th centuries, they often repurposed found objects—especially these colorful, hand-blown Japanese glass floats that washed up on Pacific Northwest shores after drifting across the ocean from Japanese fishing fleets. These floats, used to buoy nets starting around 1910 (peaking mid-century), frequently broke free and arrived via ocean currents, becoming prized beachcombing finds. Artisans would weave baskets directly over the spherical glass orbs, turning them into decorative vessels or ornaments. These pieces often feature pictorial designs inspired by Makah culture, such as whales, canoes, hunters, sea monsters (like the Sisiutl), or Thunderbird motifs—reflecting their maritime and whaling heritage.