https://rarenativeamerican.com Fri, 06 Nov 2026 09:56:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1 https://rarenativeamerican.com/rare-makah-large-woven-basket-round-amazing-pattern-pres-nootka-nuu-chah-nulth/ https://rarenativeamerican.com/rare-makah-large-woven-basket-round-amazing-pattern-pres-nootka-nuu-chah-nulth/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2026 21:49:40 +0000 https://rarenativeamerican.com/rare-makah-large-woven-basket-round-amazing-pattern-pres-nootka-nuu-chah-nulth/ Continue reading: RARE Makah LARGE Woven Basket Round amazing pattern Pres! Nootka Nuu-chah-nulth]]>












This is a basket, likely Makah, from my mother-in-law’s collection. The Makah people live on the very northwestern tip of Washington state. Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast who live in the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. And on Cape Flattery, the northwest tip of the state of Washington, U. Both groups are master weavers and these baskets are examples of their outstanding work. Bear grass, or tlii-sikum in Nuu-chah-nulth, literally translates to the white grass of Washington. The Nuu-chah-nulth preferred to use this grass to weave baskets because of the hard, bright, shiny surface of the material. This basket is unusual because of its large size, and because of the use of an elk (or possibly deer) in its pattern. I’ve only seen these baskets with water elements like whales and seabirds. This basket has the signature Makah Cedar bark square at the bottom, and is woven in the traditional twining technique. The pattern is unusually visible for a basket of its age, probably because it has been kept in a pillowcase in a hall closet singe the 1980s! Dimensions are roughly 8 at the base, 8″ height to the top with the lid on, and about 9.5″ side to side at the top. The weaving is in perfect condition. An interesting and very desirable piece for any Native American Indian basket collector. Here’s what I know about the provenance of this basket. The mom had been living in Rochester with the daughter, but she moved back out west leaving behind a stash of baskets, carving, art and jewelry. Based on my research, I believe the mom was Makah and came from the Olympic Peninsula. She may have attended high school or art school in 1961. See photo of pin which is not included in the sale, just for reference. The back of the pin says “Klee Wyk” which was the name of a pottery studio in NW Washington during the 60s. Someone called my mother in law because they knew she liked “that Indian stuff” (indigenous art wasn’t very popular at the time) and my mother in law bought everything she could afford, at fire sale prices. If any collectors remember this person from way back in the day, I’d love to give her credit for this collection. This one seems to fit that time frame, but I have no way to know for sure. I’m a bit puzzled about the inclusion of the elk/deer in the pattern, because I’ve only seen more water/sea animals depicted. Please feel free to make offers. Again, please note that the brooch is only pictured for provenance and is not part of the listing. As always, I try to donate a small percentage of sales to a worthy charity. For this ad, it’s Kiva, an international micro-lending organization that does amazing work. Thanks for your interest!

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