Antique Native American Basketry of Western North America: A Comprehensive Guide to Identification

Selected by American Indian Art Magazine as one of the 40 best publications on Native American Art in the last 40 years

This book is a comprehensive guide to the identification of Antique Native American baskets, specifically basket making tribes of western North American. It is not a formal anthropology text, but rather an organized compendium of Native basketry information that blends previous anthropologic studies and the experience of the authors. The text defines how collectors, curators, dealers, auction personnel, and academics can systematically approach tribal identification of Native American basketry. It does this by clarifying the authors' rational for tribal groupings based on basket types and not on language or other cultural traits. It explains multiple Native American basket making materials and techniques and describes how understanding this information can lead to accurate tribal attribution. This knowledge is essential in developing connoisseurship and will enhance an appreciation of this wonderful Native American art form.