Published Native American Yarn Holder Sweetgrass Basket Start Price USD 125.00 Current Price USD 125.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, August 31, 2008 End Time Sunday, September 07, 2008 Location Port Orange, Florida See more about 'Published Native American Yarn Holder Sweetgrass Basket' Description Have you ever wanted an artifact that was publishing in a book, to hold the object in your hand and see the confirmation in a book? As a collector you always appreciate getting definitive confirmation of an item you have collected. Well if you feel that way this is the unique item for you.    The Pie Galinat and Bob Self Collection are featured in:   The Knopf Collectors’ Guides to American Antiques Folk Art: Paintings, Sculptures & Country Objects Robert Bishop and Judith Reiter Weissman, Michael McManus, and Henry Niemann 1983 Collections “The following individuals, galleries and institutions kindly allowed us to reproduce objects from their collections….. Pie Galinat and Bob Self, New York City: 183,242,245-8,251,253,254,269,273,281,331-335.” You can find Pie Galiant in the Directory of Restorers in the book Collecting American Country by Mary Ellisor Emmerling. Item Description  This item is published in the following book; I have copied the page as it reads: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Knopf Collectors’ Guides to American Antiques Folk Art: Paintings, Sculptures & Country Objects Robert Bishop and Judith Reiter Weissman, Michael McManus, and Henry Niemann. 1983 On page 245 (see photo) Indian covered baskets and pincushion   “Description: center: Small acorn – shaped, 2 – piece holder closing at the middle; wrapped loop catch. Crosshatched weave of braided sweet grass and splint. Wrapped rims single – bound With green lashing. Top hole encircled by stained splint.    Materials and Dimensions  sweet grass, splint, partly painted, Velvet  Height: 4 ½” Diameter: 4”   Locality and Period  Probably Maine. C.1900-20    Comment Made by Indians and sold to tourists, knitting – yarn or string holders like these were popular around the turn of the century, since they allowed women to carry their handiwork with them. In form they are somewhat similar to oval wicker purses and work baskets made by the shakers, which were in turn influenced by imported Chinese baskets.      Hints for Collectors While small covered sweet – grass baskets are still made today, yarn holders like these have not been in fashion since about 1920. Because it is a form no longer being produced, these are well worth collecting. Its elaborate bowknot decoration suggests that the one on the left is probably oldest.”   ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________    This 100 year old Native American sweet grass basket up for auction is the center basket in the photograph taken from the book. This unique basket is in excellent condition. It is made with sweet grass and ash. I believe from the research I did that it dates around 1900 and was most likely made by the Passamaquoddy tribe from Maine. The condition of this yarn – holder basket is superb. The splint edges are excellent there is a secondary edge or double edge of sweet grass with excellent looped ash. Colors are deep, detail is excellent. The loop closure also in excellent condition, all very nice. The only flaw this published basket has in its condition is at the top lid where the yarn comes out one of the splints of the star is partially missing. I have included numerous photos for you to see the condition. As you can see this basket has developed a nice patina over the years, it is much deeper now than when the photo for the book was taken in 1983.   The Knopf Collectors’ Guides to American Antiques Folk Art: Paintings, Sculptures & Country Objects the 1983 edition is available on Amazon for about 5.00 including shipping.  This is a wonderful rare Native American artifact. We had added all these Northeastern tribe baskets and sewing accessories to our collection by acquiring them from Pie Galiant and Bob Self’s Collection of American folk art (see featured article from the home section of the New York Times). Because she restored antique quilts she had a fondness for these sewing items, they shared the same antiquity as the quilts and could have been used by the very makers of the quilts she worked on.  I have included a photograph of the collection that will be up for auction … check back later for additional listings.     Origin: Extending across most of northern New England into the southern part of the Canadian Maritimes, the Abenaki called their homeland Ndakinna meaning "our land." The eastern Abenaki were concentrated in Maine east of New Hampshire's White Mountains, while the western Abenaki lived west of the mountains across Vermont and New Hampshire to the eastern shores of Lake Champlain. The southern boundaries of the Abenaki homeland were near the present northern border of Massachusetts excluding the Pennacook country along the Merrimack River of southern New Hampshire. The maritime Abenaki occupied the St. Croix and the St. John's River Valleys near the border between Maine and New Brunswick. New England settlement and war forced many of the Abenaki to retreat north into Quebec where two large communities formed at St. Francois and Becancour near Trois-Rivieves. These have continued to the present-day. There are also three reservations in northern Maine (Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, and Maliseet) and seven Maliseet reserves located in New Brunswick and Quebec. Other groups of Abenaki, without reservations, are scattered across northern New Hampshire and Vermont. At the time of contact with the first Europeans the many woodland nations covered on area stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi river encompassing the Great Lakes and from the sub- arctic to the Ohio River system. The area was peopled by many small independent groups. All were noted for their expertise with bark, wood and plant fibers. They constructed containers, wove, coiled or twined baskets of twigs, bark, roots or grasses. Braided or sewed mats of bulrushes cattails or cedar bark. Inspired with European contact by new materials and ideas the woodland peoples rapidly developed and produced customary objects for trade among themselves and with the newcomers. These tribes crafted many trade goods, one of their specialties were sewing baskets and sewing accessories. Pin Cushions, needle holders, scissor holders and thimble baskets are among the many items woven in sweet grass and splint ash wood, birch bark and split cedar.  The splint ash wood is a difficult and long process, the black ash is gathered from the swamp and then is pounded so it can be split into strips which are then scraped and cut to the desired thickness. And the materials need to be dyed for any colorful accents. The natural dying process used on the early basket had a whole other step and process based on the color.     Ref: Wabanaki, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Abenaki, Sweetgrass, Splint Ash Wood, Native American, artifact, Sweet Grass, shot glass holder, acorn basket, lidded basket I am offering up some of my best baskets see what others I currently have up for auction. Today, most active collectors seek the rarest, finest and best examples their budget can afford. I have been collecting artifacts for over 25 years and I have been a member of the EBay community since 1998 - Please Bid with confidence.       · Buyer info: Packaging and shipping is done with care and completed in an expedient manner, shipping days are Tuesday and Thursday for gas conservation. If you have a special request we will do our best to adjust the schedule to accommodate your request. · Combined shipping is not always available due to the delicacy of an artifact. Multiple items will be packaged in a single box only when possible without potential damage to an object. · International buyers can use  Paypal or Xoom as a method for payment.   · It is my intention to be as clear and accurate as possible. In the event I make an error, I will always do my best to remedy the situation. · Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Buyer is responsible for ensuring they read the item description correctly and submit any questions they might have for clarification of the item for sale prior to bidding. I can provide additional photos at the buyers request to assist you in your purchase. · Buyer should contact me within 3 days of auction ending, this assists in the expedient shipping. · Payment must be received within 10 days of auction ending. · Bidders with excessive negative feedback may be blocked. · EBay and Paypal fees are hefty we try to only offer choice items for the serious collector ·  Seller is not responsible for lost or damaged goods. I pack carefully, label clearly, and ship promptly. Once your item is shipped it is out of my control. For this reason shipping insurance will be offered and is recommended. Place a Bid!