Hopi Basketry

History

Although basketry does not appear as abundantly as pottery in the archaeological record, many pieces have been uncovered that suggest connections between Hopi and other cultures of the southwestern United States. Hisatsinom, Hohokam, and Mogollon cultures, pre-historic peoples of the Southwest, are likely influences upon the Hopi.

Coiled Hohokam and Mogollon baskets share similar construction with Hopi coiled baskets. These types of Hohokam, Mogollon, and Hopi baskets are woven by wrapping bundles of plant material with a single piece of plant fiber. Other cultures of the Southwest use(d) rods instead of bundles, and today Pimans and Papagos along with Hopis are the only ones in the Southwest who still employ the bundled coiling method.

Hisatsinom are considered the ancestors of the Hopi. Not surprisingly then, Hisatsinom style basketry dating from A.D. 500 was handed down to the Hopi. In particular, the Hopi plaited ring basket is a part of an Hisatsinom-Pueblo tradition of uninterrupted basketmaking fifteen centuries old.

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