Description: Offered by Antique American Indian Art, llc---AAIA--- Large Navajo Wedding Tray Basket c. 1960-1970 5 x 34 inches Minor fade to front side, otherwise in overall excellent condition. Navajo Wedding Basket is viewed as a map through which the Navajo chart their lives. The central spot in the basket represents the sipapu, where the Navajo people emerged from the prior world through a reed. The inner coils of the basket are white to represent birth. As you travel outward on the coils you begin to encounter more and more black. The black represents darkness, struggle and pain. As you make your way through the darkness you eventually reach the red bands, which represent marriage the mixing of your blood with your spouse and creation of family. The red is pure.During this time there is no darkness. Traveling out of familial bands you encounter more darkness, however, the darkness is interspersed with white light. The light represents increasing enlightenment, which expands until you enter the all white banding of the outer rim. This banding represents the spirit world, where there is no darkness. The line from the center of the basket to the outer rim is there to remind you that no matter how much darkness you encounter in your world, there is always a pathway to the light. This pathway during ceremonies is always pointed east. The last coil on the basket rim is finished off at this pathway to allow the medicine man to easily locate it in darkness. Additionally the Navajo Ceremonial Basket serves another purpose. In none of the ancient Navajo rites is a regular drum or tom-tom employed. The inverted basket serves the purpose. Estate Notes: Purchased by Jack Whiteman, Chairman of Empire machinery many years ago as part of his collection, much of which is now at the Heard. Likely purchased on the Navajo reservation. The basket was kept and displayed by Carol Whiteman in their home. 210406-01 Welcome to Matt Wood's Antique American Indian Art, llc (AAIA) eBay Listings As the nation’s leading gallery of Antique North American Indian Art and Artifacts, we invite you to consider the beautiful art and artifacts that we list on eBay with full confidence in the authenticity and legality of the item, in the accuracy of the listing, and in the professionalism that we demonstrate in processing each transaction. Celebrating over 45 years in business, Matt Wood and Len Wood are founding members of ATADA (Antique Tribal Arts and Dealers Association), and we provide you, the collector, a unique opportunity to buy directly from our gallery inventory via eBay. We offer Certificates of Authenticity, a 7-day home inspection period allowing returns for full refunds (less shipping/insurance costs), and a lifetime trade-back policy (call for details). We are confident that you will be pleased with the value, service and peace-of-mind that our gallery can offer you. Thank you for looking! SHIPMENT We package all items for shipment in the utmost professional manner, and all shipments are fully insured. Please read our Store Policies for all of our shipping information. PLEASE FOLLOW US - If you hit the FOLLOW THIS SELLER link on the top right of this listing under the Seller Information button, you will be able to get the early notices of our new additions and sales. We will be adding lots of quality Antique American Indian Art over the next few months.
Price: 2490 USD
Location: Oak Harbor, Washington
End Time: 2023-12-20T20:58:53.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Tribal Affiliation: Pima
