Miniature Basket + Lid Is it Native American?

I would think this is a tourist piece. Measures 3.5" to top of lid. Diameter of basket is 2.25", of lid is 2.75" . The Blue or purple design is faded on the outside. Was this native made or is it a fake.

 

Maybe?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/390488536648

 

Yes, it does look the same. No wonder when I searched Native American it did not come up.
Thanks Gila, have a Great Cold Weekend.

Sue

 

My pleasure. And thanks!
BRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

 

Taupou....U & I better watch out.....Gila's takin over !!!

Good eye Gila Monster !!!

 

Oh, I have little knowledge, but one very good SKILL... Googling!
And thank you, Professor!

 

New phrase for me: "Tourist Piece ".... Doesn't it mean: was made as suvenier for tourist?.... Means ... reproduction of something.... copy of something.... to be able to sale a lot to "crazy" tourists, who bring it home and for presents, but lately..... just give it to Goodwill for donation? I was visiting so many countries', but never ever bring cheap souvenirs. I am sure that only pictures, videos and memories - are the best "souvenir"... Oh! Sorry! "Tourist Pieces"

 

In my eyes... a memento of a wonderful voyage...

 

think russian nesting dolls.....some older ones of high quality may sell for a nice price.....the millions of others.....tourist pieces ....brought home from a trip that will end up in garage sales for $10.

 

Yes, it's a "tourist" piece. But that term doesn't mean much, and certainly doesn't have any impact on the value of an item. Nearly every basket available on the market today falls, technically, in that category.

In the U.S., in fact, it was the "tourist trade" that saved the traditional arts of basket-making, pottery, and weaving. By the end of the 1800s, there was no need to make items like that for actual use, manufactured replacements were available, and in many cases, much more practical. Few people even knew how to make basket, let alone how to find and process the local materials to make it.

But when tourists began arriving in the west and southwest in the 1880s, there was an interest in taking home a reminder of the trip, and the demand for Indian baskets, Navajo weaving, and pueblo pottery outpaced the supply of those traditional items. Supplying that demand led to people learning those skills from their elders who still were able to create those items, and provided a vital source of income as well.

Some of the creations were copies or reproductions of old styles (but usually much smaller than the originals, so they would be easier to take home) but others were artistic innovations that had little connection with traditional forms or styles...but they sold well, so were quickly adopted (pottery "wedding" vases, "rain gods", story-tellers...Navajo rugs...Makah trinket baskets, for example.) None of those would exist if it were not for the "tourist trade."

I just got back from a trip through eight states in the Southwest, a highlight was checking out baskets in the vault in a Carson City museum. Made by Louisa Keyser (Dat-so-la-lee) for the tourist trade in the early 1900s, at least three of them were appraised at over $1,000,000, each.

 

YOWIEEEEEEEEE!!! That's AMAZING!!!!

 

Thanks for that history, Taopou.
I didn't realize all of that fully.

 

As a reference, tourist piece stands out as different from an item that was made for native use.
It refers to an item made for sale to non native visitors .
While it's true that the value of an old tourist item can reach great heights , a similar item made for use by an indigenous person will find itself in a very different market place.

 

Taopou,

Thank you for the explaining and expanding on the term "Tourist Piece" that I used. I for one appreciate your vast knowledge that you share with the board.

Sue

 

Komokwa,

Thank you for your explanation. You too are so generous in sharing your knowledge. I missed your post.

Sue

 

No worries Suzy....we posted seconds apart !

 

I should also point out, however, that there is a vast range in quality of items like this produced for sale, and high quality usually demands the highest value. Even when she was still making her baskets, they were probably the most expensive Indian baskets up to that time. One sold during her lifetime for roughly the equivalent of a new house. Not really in the category of an inexpensive souvenir that the average tourist would pick up. But still produced solely for sale.

Similar record-price items made for the tourist or collector market would include some pieces of pueblo pottery made by Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso, and some early Navajo weavings.

 

& you could add many more items to that list .

Haida Argillite being one of the best examples of an item , carved by the natives pre-contact in a limited fashion , but once seen by explorers , exploded into a mass produced art form made exclusively for sale to non natives, even to the point where some of the finest examples bear no resemblance to the culture that it sprang from, but instead imitated forms that were know only to the buying public.

 

Absolutely! Haida argillite carvings are prime examples of the value of what was once "tourist art." Again, it's the craftsmanship that contributes to elevating it to a higher level.