Makah Small Basket with Lid

Early/Mid 20th Century

1.625" H x 2.5" D + .625" D Knob

Hand Twined with Inlaid Line Design and a Matching Lid with a Knob

In Very Good Condition

A small Makah lidded trinket basket, a traditional Native American woven item from the Pacific Northwest Coast, specifically the Makah people of Neah Bay, Washington. These miniature baskets, often around 1.5–3 inches in height and 2–4 inches in diameter, were produced as "trinket baskets" starting in the 1860s. They became a cottage industry through the 1930s, sold to tourists and collectors. They are typically made using tightly twined techniques with materials like Twisted red cedar bark (for the foundation/warp and weft), Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax) or slough grass (for overlays and designs, often dyed with natural or commercial colors) Fully wrapped twining for durability (some were even watertight)

Polychrome (multi-colored) designs, such as geometric bands, triangles, whirling logs, birds, whales, canoes, or other pictorial motifs reflecting coastal life and whaling traditions. Domed or knobbed lids, sometimes with a finial or handle with Simple to intricate patterns in reds, blues, blacks, and natural tones.