Mescalero Apache bowl basket; coiled; sumac, yucca root; d. 21 cm., h. 7 cm; ca. 1880.<BR> This basket was purchased in Santa Fe in July 1883 from a merchant who obtained it from Mescaleros who had been at the Tertio-Millennial Exposition. Mescalero coiled baskets are generally easily identified by their unusually flat, wide coils that are unique in the Southwest. They are constructed by stacking two, sometimes three, sumac rods one atop the other, and then a thin bundle of yucca or beargrass (Yucca glauca) fiber. Yucca splints are sewn through the fiber bundle, holding the stacked coil together, and binding it to the next. Sometimes a thin slat of wood is substituted for the stacked rods (see RMV 361-42 below). The origin of this technique is unclear (Whiteford 1988:59-60). Ten Kate's basket appears to have a 2-rod foundation with the design executed in brown yucca root stitches.<BR> This basket has a five-pointed design that various authors have called "flowers" or "stars," but Farrer (1991:77-78,82) states that such designs are clearly identified by Mescaleros as stars, and suggests that only baskets with four-pointed stars (like RMV 361-44 and 2012-13, below) would have been used domestically or ceremonially by Mescaleros themselves. Baskets with stars with five or more points are more probably made to be sold to outsiders, although stars with six points (an even number) and eight points (a multiple of four) might be acceptable for Mescalero use (Farrer 1982 in Whiteford 1988:57). While based on traditional Mescalero belief systems, it would nevertheless be interesting to compare these twentieth-century ideals with the use and wear patterns to be found on nineteenth-century baskets, to see how universally they might have been observed in early days.<BR> The Western Apaches made wide, shallow bowls and ollas in the coiling technique. The Mescaleros produced similar trays in great quantities. Shallow and deep bowls were used for serving and preparing food. Often these exhibited no decoration as they soiled from the start and had a limited life-span. However, there are exceptions. In these cases two designs predominate: a fret/whirlwind/lightning pattern radiating outwards towards the rim from the black center, or floating a star/petal/flower motif (Whiteford 1988:57-58,78-79).<BR> The baskets made by the different Apache tribes are quite distinct from one another, and from Navajo baskets, suggesting that each learned basket making from a different source. Late nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Western Apache baskets, along with those made by Yavapai groups, are widely acknowledged as some of the finest, if not the finest baskets made during the historic era in the Southwest. Semi-nomadic groups often excel in the basketry arts: baskets are light-weight, strong, and do not break if dropped. Apaches used various types of baskets in most of the roles that pottery containers played for sedentary Puebloans.<BR> <BR> For some reason, Ten Kate collected only a few Apache baskets. In one sense, this is unfortunate, in that it would have been wonderful to have had available in his collection some well-dated specimens. On the other hand, he may have understood that baskets were relatively commonplace, and concentrated on acquiring lesser-known items of material culture. The baskets he collected are representative examples of their kind, although several have interesting attributes. The four Mescalero baskets deserve closer analysis in that they exhibit a range of foundation construction techniques; Whiteford (1988:56-60) has discussed this aspect of Mescalero basket weaving and the questions surrounding its origins. Ten Kate's four baskets are a nice "snapshot" of techniques that were obviously in use simultaneously in 1883.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Als een rondreizend volk was het belangrijk voor de Apache stam dat er potten en pannen waren die minder snel braken.<BR> In deze tijd (voor 1867) werden er vooral potten met deksels van dierenhuiden en andere manden gemaakt. <BR> Deze werden gebruikt als waterkan of als opslagruimte voor zaad en fruit. <BR> De manden werden voornamelijk gemaakt van gras of hout.<BR> Apache vrouwen maakten de manden voor eigen gebruik.<BR> Vooral de grote manden speelden een belangrijke rol in het leven van de stam. Soms werden de maanden ook gebruikt bij verschillende plechtigheden. <BR> Bij een huwelijksceremonie, bijvoorbeeld, werden de manden gevuld met fruit voor de gasten.<BR> De Navajo stam had wel een special rood/zwart kleurige mand die enkel gebruikt werd bij een huwelijksceremonie. <BR> The Apache zijn nog steeds bekend voor het maken van rieten manden. <BR> Toch blijft het moeilijk om een bepaalde mand aan een stam toe te schrijven. Behalve dat de makers vaak niet bekend zijn spelen andere aspecten een rol. De naai- en stik techniek kan met name bepalend zijn. Bovendien lopen de patronen op de manden zeer uiteen. <BR> Er kunnen bijvoorbeeld mensen, dieren, kruizen of sterren afgebeeld zijn. <BR> Deze afbeeldingen werden door allerlei stammen gebruikt. De afbeeldingen hebben geen symbolische functie.<BR> In de loop der tijd verschenen er steeds meer kleine potjes en manden. Deze werden voornamelijk gemaakt voor de handel met de Europeanen. <BR> <BR> <BR>