I-1-31 Maidu flour tray.
The Maidu are divided into three groups: the Nisenan (Valley), the Konkow (Foothill) and the Sierra (Mountain) Maidu. These peoples spoke mutually unintelligible dialects of the Maidu language, which belongs to the Penutian Super Family of languages. Their traditional territory is in northeastern California just north of Yosemite and bordered on the west by the Sacramento River with Lake Tahoe to the east. This type of large tray was what these Indians referred to as a “ko-lo” and was used in the process of sifting acorn flour, acorn being a major food staple of these groups. This fine early example has a dynamic swirling pattern called “bot-so” or arrow points. Both the design and the background have numerous small design elements called “floaters” typical of earlier baskets usually not made for sale. Coiling is to the left using three peeled willow rods (Salix) for the foundation of the coil. The sewing splints are split peeled maple (Acer) for the white and split unpeeled California redbud (Cercis) for the red. A very handsome and excellent example of this tribe’s weaving.
16"d. by 2 3/4"deep. Circa 1890. $3,500.00