Miniature Basket (Hösig Di)
ClassificationsFurnishings-Accessories-baskets
Culturepossibly
Emberá
Culturepossibly
Wounaan
Datemid to late 20th Century
Made AtDarién Province, Panama, Central America, North America
Collection SiteDarién Province, Panama, Central America, North America
MediumPalm fibers (astrocaryum standleyanum and carludovica palmata) and natural pigments
Dimensions2 × 3 1/8 in. (5.1 × 7.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih
Object number2020.9.6
DescriptionBasket made in the mid to late 20th Century by the Emberá or Wounaan cultures living in the Darién Province of Panama. Following Spanish colonization of the region, Emberá and Wounaan peoples migrated into inhabitable areas along river basins in the region. The history of these baskets, as well as their manufacture in Panama is a particularly fascinating one. While the Wounaan have a longer history of basket weaving in Colombia, they mostly migrated to the Darién Province of Panama following a ten-year period of civil war in their home country. With them they brought the art of weaving incredibly intricate, watertight baskets that used natural pigments to create a variety of colorful geometric and occasionally figurative designs. These baskets, also called Hösig Di by the Wounaan, are made primarily by Wounaan women and since the establishment of an export business for these baskets have become one of the primary ways for women to support themselves financially. As neighbors to the Wounaan, the Emberá began to create these baskets shortly after the Wounaan's arrival in the Darién Province. The cultures are often interchangeably credited for contemporary baskets from the region.On View
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