Plaited Seneca Basket
Strawberry basket with a porcupine twist. Split ash weft and warp.
- Object: Plaited Seneca Basket
- Artist: -
- Circa: -
- Dimensions: 4 3/4" high 8" diameter
- Culture Area: Northeast / Eastern Woodlands
- Cultural Group: Seneca
- Cultural Context: The Seneca are a group of indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people native to North American who historically lived south of Lake Ontario. Strawberry baskets have a variety of meanings across the different tribes and for some it shows off the skill of the artist, represents the springtime renewal of life, can be seen as a symbol of blessing or good luck, and even symbolizes womanhood and the transition into the role of caretaker. In fact strawberry baskets are often made for and given to newborn babies and it is a treasure kept through their entire lives to be taken with them into the Spirit World. A piece of their umbilical cord is kept in the basket along with other things of special meaning so the ancestors will recognize them when they arrive in the Spirit World.
- Donor: Leonore Hollander
- Catalog #: 92.011