I-3-32 Panamint, possibly Paiute bowl. The Panamint (also known as Koso) are a branch of the Shoshone, speaking the central Numic dialect of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic family. They were a very small tribe seldom numbering more than a few hundred people at any point in time. They originally inhabited the greater Death Valley region of east central California and southwest Nevada. Living in one of the harshest environments in North America, they produced some of the most beautiful and finely woven American Indian baskets.
This bowl is most unusual in that it has dyed willow designs, a feature more typical of southern Paiute coiled baskets. The direction of the coiling, however, is the same as Panamint work. (It should be noted that, while southern Paiute coiling classically coils to the left, like their close relatives, the Chemehuevi, their baskets can coil either to the left or to the right.) The lack of rim ticking also suggests that this basket could possibly be Paiute making this one of the rightward coiling examples. An exact identification may not be possible with this basket. Coiling is to the right using three peeled willow rods (Salix) for the foundation of the coil. The sewing splints are split peeled willow for the white, split peeled willow that has been dyed with commercial dyes for the pink and blue, dye split bulrush root (Scirpus) for the black and split reed (Juncus) for the yellow.
A most intriguing and colorful example. 8"d. by 2 3/4"h. Circa 1930. $3,950.00