1. Western Apache. Polychrome basket in a negative design. The negative design is unusual and required a lot of black weaving material from the devil’s claw plant. The basket was originally purchased by Charles Gilliland, Sr. in the period 1898-1918. His son, Charles, Jr., sold his father’s extensive Western Apache basket collection to the Amerind in 1948.
2. Apache, possibly Chiricahua. This basket was found in a cave in traditional Chiricahua Apache territory. It could be the work of either a Chiricahua basketweaver or a Western Apache weaver who traded it with the Chiricahua. A rancher boy discovered it in 1910 and took it home with him. Later it passed into the hands of the late Mary Magoffin, a local rancher and historian. Her husband John Magoffin donated it to the Amerind.
3. Western Apache. A basket with human and animal figures. The basket was originally purchased by Charles Gilliland, Sr. in the period 1898-1918. His son, Charles, Jr., sold his father’s extensive Western Apache basket collection to the Amerind in 1948.
4. Mescalero Apache. Dance bonnet acquired from the Museum of the American Indian.
5. Western Apache. A basket with human and animal figures. Baskets like this one would take months of work spread out over the year to produce, from harvesting and preparing raw materials, to the final weaving. The basket was originally purchased by Charles Gilliland, Sr. in the period 1898-1918. His son, Charles, Jr., sold his father’s extensive Western Apache basket collection to the Amerind in 1948.
6. Western Apache. Basket from the A.G. Smith collection donated by Mrs. Gene Hunter of New Mexico.
7. Apache, possibly Chiricahua. This basket was found in a cave in traditional Chiricahua Apache territory. It could be the work of either a Chiricahua basketweaver or a Western Apache weaver who traded it with the Chiricahua. A rancher boy discovered it in 1910 and took it home with him. Later it passed into the hands of the late Mary Magoffin, a local rancher and historian. Her husband John Magoffin donated it to the Amerind.
Dine/Navajo
1. Navajo. Leather bag with silverwork presented as a birthday gift from Elizabeth to her father Mr. William Shirley Fulton in 1960.
2. Navajo. A pictorial blanket using a joyous array of Germantown yarns. A slit in the center of the weaving may represent the weaver’s path or spirit hole. The blanket was purchased from Charles Gilliland, Jr. At the time of its weaving, the Germantown yarns led to an artistic explosion among Diné weavers. As Barbara Ornelas would remark when studying this rug: “Very, very experienced weaver who was having a lot of fun with this one. This is from a period when an artist could be an artist, and they did not need to be pigeon-holed. [Later], trading posts restricted people and told them how to behave.”
3. Navajo. A pictorial blanket using a joyous array of Germantown yarns. A slit in the center of the weaving may represent the weaver’s path or spirit hole. The blanket was purchased from Charles Gilliland, Jr. At the time of its weaving, the Germantown yarns led to an artistic explosion among Diné weavers. As Barbara Ornelas would remark when studying this rug: “Very, very experienced weaver who was having a lot of fun with this one. This is from a period when an artist could be an artist, and they did not need to be pigeon-holed. [Later], trading posts restricted people and told them how to behave.”
4. Navajo. Rug in all natural wool colors. All the yarn was handspun and hand-carded. When Barbara Ornelas viewed this rug, she said: “This is done by an old woman. Someone who was a really good weaver. She can’t see too well anymore, but she wants to keep on weaving. Probably took a lot longer than she thought it was going to take her. All hand spun and hand carded. The pattern is by a very experienced weaver, but she has lost control of her [weaving’s] sides.” It was purchased by donor Mrs. Harriet Lee in the year 1934.
5. Painting by Quincy Tahoma. Watercolor on paper. Title: Going to Market.
O’odham
1. Tohono O’odham. Red-on-brown jar, perhaps a wine jar or water storage vessel. Acquired by Elizabeth Fulton for Amerind. Originated in Tohono O’odham country in northern Sonora or southern Arizona.
2. Tohono O’odham. A wine basket. 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.
3. Hohokam to ancestral O’odham stone tools. P/910 is described as a Grass Knife and P/938 as a handled Agave Knife. Both were found on floors of ancient homes excavated at the Paloparado archaeological site, a few miles north of Nogales, AZ.
4. Tohono O’odham. A wine basket. 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.
5. A wagon hand craft by Mattias Chuhuahua Gomez, an O’odham wood carver who resided in Caborca, Sonora. The wagon is a faithful replica of the wagons that Mr. Gomez remembered from his youth.
