Papago Tray Basket

Mid 20th Century

1.5" H x 12.5" D

Hand Coiled Open Tray with Yucca and Devils Claw in a Horned Toads Motif Design

In Very Good Condition

Papago tray baskets (also called Tohono O’odham tray baskets) are traditional shallow, open coiled baskets made by the Papago people—now more commonly known as the Tohono O’odham—of the deserts of southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico.

antiqueamericanindianart.com

These trays are part of a long-standing coiled basketry tradition. They were primarily practical household items used for food preparation (cutting, mixing, or holding ingredients), winnowing grains/seeds, serving, and sometimes ceremonial purposes (such as by medicine people for food/drink during healing or salt-gathering rites). They functioned much like pans, bowls, or plates.