The first item is a tiny Attu Basket. It is only 1 inch in diameter by 1-3/8 inches in height. There are 20 rows and 18 stitches per inch.
The Aleutian Islands are located 1,000 miles south of the Arctic Circle and stretch 1,000 miles of Alaska’s southwest coast toward Russia. Aleutians lived year-round in coastal villages governed by wealthy and powerful chiefs in a highly structured and class-conscious society.
The traditional material for these baskets was a type of rye grass that grew wild throughout the islands and was carefully gathered and prepared over the course of several months. In early summer, women traveled inland to find the longest and toughest grass available. The grass was cut and stored indoors away from sunlight that could bleach it and subsequently weaken the fibers. After it dried, it was sorted and split into thin strands. The prepared strands were bundled together and hung outside on cloudy days to again avoid the bleaching effect of sunlight until they were completely dry and ready for use.
Aleut baskets are constructed by twining thin, flexible horizontal strands together between vertical elements. In twining, two or more strands of horizontal pieces are twisted around each other in half turns as they pass over and under the vertical pieces. Theses threadlike strands of grass were so tightly woven that the texture of the finished baskets has often been compared to linen.
Aleut baskets are decorated with “false embroidery”, created by wrapping stems around the horizontal strands while weaving so the decorative pattern shows only on the outside of the basket.
As Cleora mentioned, World War II effectively put an end to the basket making tradition. Attu Island, the center for the craft, was invaded by the Japanese, all men were taken prisoner and forced to work in coal mines. The remainder of the population was evacuated and the island was never resettled. Their basket making tradition did not survive the disruption. Today, there are only 3-4 weaver. You can visit the website of Nina Kiyaykina here.
You can see images of traditional basket makers working on these tiny baskets at Alaska’s Digital Archives.
This entry was posted in Collection Notes and tagged aleutian, attu, basket, Cleora Helbing, exhibit, Native American art, Pope County Minnesota, Pope County Museum. Bookmark the permalink.
You might contact Barnov Museum on Kodiak Island, there are people who do Attu basket classes and have kept the tradion alive.
I am so glad to hear that the tradition is alive! Thanks for your comment.