This is a 3 inch Apache hand woven burden basket. Burden baskets are fashioned from cottonwood and mulberry sticks and were used as utility baskets to gather fruit, berries, herbs or nuts and also to carry other items. These baskets are still in use in traditional Apache ceremonies. The dark weave is the outside bark and light weave is the inside of the bark. Burden Baskets were normally carried on the back and supported by straps on the forehead. This basket is wrapped with leather at the top to provide greater support and durability. The basket is decorated with numerous leather strips with tin cones on the ends. The tin cones jingle when the basket is moved. This sound was said to ward off snakes as the women walked through the desert. The basket is 7" long. |