Made with a single-rod coil foundation, this Pomo basket uses flass beads (rather than shell beads) and feathers for its decorative embellishment. This design is known as "inward arrowhead" or "arrowhead half."

Miniature baskets showcase the talent and technical prowess of the weaver. Tiny purple, turquoise, and clear glass beads form a design of isosceles triangles. Such small baskets had no utility, rather they were valued as virtuoso demonstrations of craftsmanship, highly sought after as the market for Native arts and crafts expanded in the early 20th century. Basketmaking is still valued and practiced today, but contemporary Pomo weavers face challenges in acquiring the materials their ancestors used. Severe ecological changes, including devastation of wetlands, and enforcement of private property laws prevent artist from harvesting necessary materials.

Kathleen Howe, Nuance of Sky: Edgar Heap of Birds Invites Spirit Objects to Join His Art Practice (Claremont: Pomona College Museum of Art, 2013), 20 illustrated/color.
Kay Koeninger and Joanne M. Mack, "Native American Art from the Permanent Collection" (Claremont: Galleries of the Claremont Colleges, 1979), 20, fig. 12.

Jonathan Tibbet Collection.

Willow, sedge, and glass beads

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

• Nuance of Sky: Edgar Heap of Birds Invites Spirit Objects to Join His Art Practice , 1/21/2013 - 4/14/2013

• Overall Dimensions: 7/8 x 1 9/16 x 1 1/2 in. (2.22 x 3.97 x 3.81 cm) Measured by Bellon, Giulia

This object has the following bibliographic references:

• Native American Art from the Permanent Collection. Native American Art from the Permanent Collection Galleries of the Claremont Colleges. Claremont, CA, 1979
  Page Number: 20, Figure Number: 12
• Nuance of Sky. Nuance of Sky Pomona College Museum of Art. Claremont, 2013
  Page Number: 20

This object is a member of the following portfolios: