Plaque

ClassificationsFurnishings-Accessories-plaques

Culture Pima

Date20th Century

Made AtArizona, United States, North America

MediumWillow, devil's claw and tule

Dimensions15 1/2 in. (39.4 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Mary J. Newland

Object number30070

DescriptionThis basketry plaque comes from the 20th Century when basketry objects were no longer being woven for their utilitarian function, but instead for decoration. The O’odham were well-known for never using dyes in their basketry, instead relying on weaving in the long, hooked seed pods of devil’s claw to create darker designs. The darker color of the devil’s claw in this plaque’s designs—a byproduct of the different cultivation practices between the different O’odham cultures—indicate that it was made by the Pima. Generally designs can be misleading when attempting to identify basketry from the southwest, but the “man in the labyrinth” design is traditionally specific to the O’odham.

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