Tohono O'odham Owl Effigy Basket

Coiled Basket

The CatalogIt Collections

Name/Title

Tohono O'odham Owl Effigy Basket

Description

Whimsical open-stitched basketry owl, actually made of four separate coiled pieces stitched together- the body, the head, and the two wings.

Made/Created

Artist

Maria Otero

Date made

circa 1980

Place

City

San Juan Pueblo

State/Province

New Mexico

Country

United States

Continent

North America

Notes

Although Maria lived at San Juan, she insisted on weaving with traditional Tohono O'odham materials and would regularly return to Arizona to get them.

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Region

Southwest

Continent

North America

Culture/Tribe

Tohono O'odham

Native American

Dimensions

Height

7-1/4 in

Width

5-1/4 in

Length

5-1/2 in

Material

Yucca, Bear Grass, Devil's Claw

Location

Room

Living Room

Building

San Francisco home

Provenance

Notes

The basket was likely purchased by Pacific Western Traders from the Tohono O'odham Tribal Agency, which carried much of Maria Otero's work. My mother purchased it from Pacific Western, and gave it to me.