Paiute Basket Bowl

ca. 1900

3.125" H x 6.25" D

Hand Coiled with Zigzag and Cross Pattern

In Very Good Condition

Paiute peoples (including groups like the Northern Paiute, Owens Valley Paiute, and Mono Lake Paiute) were renowned for their finely woven baskets, often made using techniques like coiling with a willow foundation and wefts of split willow (for light backgrounds), bracken fern root (for black designs), and sometimes redbud for reddish accents. These small-to-medium bowls from around 1900 were typically utilitarian—used for food preparation, serving, storage, or winnowing seeds—while also being highly collectible today due to their tight weaving, geometric patterns (such as bands, diamonds, or floating elements), and historical significance. Baskets of this era often feature subtle, elegant designs rather than the more elaborate polychrome styles that emerged in the 1920s–1930s among some weavers for tourist markets or Yosemite Field Days competitions.

Paiute basketry often features intricate geometric patterns, such as zigzags, diamonds, triangles, stepped designs, or more elaborate motifs. Many were utilitarian (for gathering, cooking, or storage), but during the late 19th and early 20th centuries—especially around Yosemite National Park's "Indian Field Days"—weavers produced highly artistic, finely coiled "fancy" bowls for sale to tourists and collectors. This era saw innovations in scale, complexity, and quality.