Basketry Purses

I've never been to Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, but I have long admired fabulous Nantucket baskets. Now the New York Times has picked up on the trendiness of Nantucket friendship baskets and their use as purses, as reported by Maria Santa Poggi in "This Little Basket Is Having a Very Good Summer" (published Aug. 13, 2026, updated Aug. 14, 2026).  Santa Poggi writes, "the friendship basket has become a woven collectible sometimes compared to an Hermes Birkin bag."  At several thousand dollars each, they are pricey. As unique works of art, they're worth the price. The article gives a good history of this form of basketry.   https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/style/nantucket-lightship-friendship-basket.html?smid=nytcore-android-share 

                                                                                

Paul F. Whitten, Nantucket Lightship Shopping Basket, 1971, rattan, oak, ivory,
and metal, (33.0 x 37.4 x 26.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum,
Museum purchase, 1975.143. Photo courtesy SAAM.

Without lids, they're known as lightship baskets. With lids, they're friendship baskets. José  Formoso Reyes created the friendship basket. A Filipino member of the U.S. Army in World War II, he became a U.S. citizen following the war, and settled in Nantucket. He added lids and decorative  scrimshaw.  For a more in-depth history of Nantucket basketry, the Nantucket Historical Association's website has links to articles including  "José Formoso Reyes"   https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/joses-formoso-reyes/ and "A Short History of Nantucket Baskets" https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/a-short-history-of-nantucket-baskets/ 

                                                                                            

Nantucket Basket by Joan Brink
and Priscilla M. King, c1990
National Museum of the 
American Indian catalog
number 25/4731

A collaboration between weaver Joan Brink and carver Priscilla M. King resulted in this modern take on a Nantucket friendship basket. It's woven of willow and wood, and the carving is of argillite.

The friendship basket harkens back to a classically shaped lidded basket (without carved embellishments), an old form that I saw recently in “Rest on the Flight into Egypt.” The basket here is oval, with a lid, and a handle. Possibly it's not the type of basket around when and where Jesus was a babe, but nevertheless it appears in this Madonna and Child scene. Perhaps it is intended to hold Flemish chestnuts that Joseph is hitting from a tree using a stick. This is an oil on panel painted about 1510 by Gerard David in the Netherlands. The painting is currently located at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, object number 1937.1.43. Read more about it on their website, https://www.nga.gov/artworks/50-rest-flight-egypt 

Rest on the Flight into Egypt,
Gerard David, c 1510, 
National Gallery of Art 1937.1.43

Detail of Basket in Rest
on the Flight to Egypt

A tidy little purse from Akwesasne.
Photo: Bryn Potter

Finally, my own entry into the basketry purse category. Alas, it is not a Dutch antique, nor a coveted Nantucket basket, but it's just as important. It's a lovely northeastern piece from the Kanienkehake People of the Flint (Mohawk).  It's old tag proclaims "St. Regis Indian Reservation Basket." 

"The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is the federally-recognized government of the Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation at Akwesasne. The territory under our jurisdiction lies south of the border [in New York State] dividing the United States and Canada. The lands north of the border are under the jurisdiction of our counterparts, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne"  according to the Mohawk Tribal Council website accessed 8/15/2026, https://www.srmt-nsn.gov/about

Interior of the Akwesasne Basket. Photo: Bryn Potter.

My basketry purse from Akwesasne / St. Regis  is circular with handles, about 9" x 2.5" in size and probably about 100 years old. It's formed of ash wood splints twined with braided sweetgrass. The splits were dyed, although there's no color to be seen on the exterior anymore. Open it, and the interior reveals some of the materials were dyed burgundy red and dark brown, colored with commercial dyes that have badly faded on the exterior. There are two braided sweetgrass handles that are stitched in place. The clasp is made of two splint rings, as is the simple and unfortunately broken hinge on the other side. This basket was purchased by me on EBay a dozen or so years ago. Who knew then that basketry purses could become the trendy accessory in 2026?

Basic Splint Basketry is a short book produced by the Akwesasne St. Regis Reserve, North American Indian Travelling College in 1986. It explains how to make baskets while following Mrs. Mary Adams as she creates one. It notes, at that time the book was written, Mrs. Adams had been a basket weaver for over 50 years. For more information, https://akwesasne.travel/our-stories/mohawk-and-akwesasne-basketmaking/

The Sombrero Vueltiao at the Olympics

The Winter 2026 Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy, have come and gone, but the lasting impression of stylish baskets remains in my mind.

Colombia's small team, consisting of cross country skier Fredrik Fostad and three coaches, walked in the opening ceremony sporting sombrero vueltiaos upon their heads. What knockouts! 

Town & Country magazine included Colombia in its list of "The Best Opening Ceremony Uniforms at the 2026 Winter Olympics" due to their "brightly patterned jackets." It's too bad they missed the opportunity to talk up these amazing hats!   https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/sporting/a70202021/best-dressed-teams-2026-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony/

Columbian team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

These fine hats, well known in Colombia and increasingly around the world, were also worn by Colombian athletes in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. (photo: olimpicocol)

Just what are these Colombian favorites?

The fibers of the Caña flecha palm (Gynerium sagittatum) are separated and dried in the sun for the white color, and then dyed in mud for the black color. The weaving technique has been used by the Zenú people in the Sinú River region since before colonization, and continues to be used by them today. They braid strips of fibers together, which are then sewn together in elaborate patterns.

Although the black and white hats are traditional, artists are employing more colors in some contemporary pieces. A number of bright and wonderful sombreros vueltiaos are available on the Best of Colombia Group website, which notes that they work with over 80 families of artists to create their crafts. While the selection of hats looks enchanting, please note, I have not purchased anything from this website nor authenticated that statement about the artists.  https://bestofcolombia.com/collections/sombrero-vueltiao-hats-1

For more information on this exciting national headware of Colombia, visit  https://colombia.co/en/colombia-country/history/vueltiao-hat

Photo courtesy https://colombia.co/en/colombia-country/history/vueltiao-hat

President Nixon's Straw Baskets

When one looks, one can find baskets in nearly every museum one visits.

About a decade ago, a friend and I attended a gathering of archivists held at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, and yes, I found a couple of Indigenous baskets on display. 

They were in an exhibition that featured gifts given to the Nixons. The labels contained the names of the donors, but otherwise, additional information was sorely lacking.

Richard M. Nixon's presidency lasted from 1969 to 1974, so he presumably received the baskets during this period. The colors used in the baskets could be from commercial dyes. Yet the first basket, made by a Navajo artist, looks like it might have a bit more age to it. Closer inspection might indicate that natural dyes were used, such as mountain mahogany for the red color, and sunflower seeds for the black color.

 Navajo Wedding Basket

The first "Straw Basket, Handwoven," is a Diné or Navajo basket, a type commonly referred to as a Navajo wedding basket. It is a coiled basket with a herringbone rim, and is most likely woven of split and peeled sumac.

Hualapai Basket

The second "Straw Basket" fares better with its label, as it is described as having been made by a weaver in the Hualapai Tribe of Peach Springs, Arizona. This basket is diagonally twined of split sumac with an orange and black pattern, and it has  a wrapped rim. 

The Library is worth a visit. It encompasses Nixon's birthplace and childhood home, Army One Presidential Helicopter, and lovely gardens. I suspect these baskets are not currently on display. 

The Library's exhibition "America 250: A More Perfect Union" is open through January 31, 2027. 

A Peace Rose in the Nixon's Rose Garden.

South American Figural Baskets

With Venezuela in the news lately, I thought I'd investigate two basketry items in my home that were said to have come from there. My husband's aunt spent two years teaching in Venezuela in 1962-1963, and I inherited two whimsical basketry figurines from her. 

From what I have found on the internet, they are most probably from Ecuador, not Venezuela. I do know that she was able to travel to neighboring countries during her summer breaks, and she brought home various small keepsakes, including molas from the Kuna people of Panama and Guatemalan textiles. 

In the late 1980s, I purchased some similarly made basketry figures that are Christmas ornaments. Maybe next December I'll pull those out and compare them to these two, a elegant woman and her burden basket-laden donkey.

The woman basketry figurine stands 14.5 cm or 5.75" tall. She is plain twined with braided details and free-flowing hair. Commercial dyes were used for the vibrant pink skirt and attached hat, the purple design in her skirt, and her knotted green shawl. Her body and hat are most likely made from "toquilla straw" or "paja toquilla."

"Carludovica palmata (also known as Panama hat plant, toquilla palm,

calá, palmilla, palmero, pojom, jiraca, junco, soyacal, tepejilote and jipijapa) is a species of flowering plant in the family Cyclanthaceae. It is not a true palm, but its leaves are very similar compared to the leaves of some true palms, for example, to Chelyocarpus ulei. Unlike several true palms, C. palmata does not develop a woody trunk." [Quote and photograph, Wikipedia, 1/23/2026].

The straw is most prominently used in the manufacture of Panama hats.  "Panama" is a misnomer here, as the famous and familiar straw hats are actually products of Ecuador.  

An informative video about toquilla straw and how these hats are woven can be found on this UNESCO heritage website: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-weaving-of-the-ecuadorian-toquilla-straw-hat-00729

As for the burden baskets on the donkey, they are not straw. These baskets are also plain twined, but they're made of a material (not grass nor palm fiber) that has been split. The warp is folded over to form the rim.

The donkey's body is solid, perhaps plastic, covered with a fuzzy substance. It has a felt saddle sewn on, cotton cordage tied on, painted details, and plastic hooves.

The basket woman and her donkey make a charming vignette.