Introduction

About the Image:

Tohono O’odham. A wine basket. This basket was purchased before it was ever used. The basket has a negative whirlwind design, showing a lot of use of devil’s claw. The lighter color stitches are willow. O’odham basketweaver Rhonda Wilson examined the basket and suspects that the foundation is a cattail bundle, which would help make the basket water-tight for holding liquid. Baskets like this one are used to serve wine at the summer wine ceremony. The wine comes from the fermentation of saguaro cactus fruit. During the ceremony, the wine is drunk communally from such a basket. The ceremony is believed to help bring a good summer rainy season. The basket was donated by Charles Gilliland, Jr.