Basket and Lid

This coiled bowl is part of the Johnsons’ collection of 118 Native American baskets. Fancy baskets were created and sold to the Johnsons and tourists who were passing through Death Valley. Willow was used for white stitching, Baltic rush for light yellow or brown, bulrush for dark brown, Devil’s claw for black, and Joshua tree root for the vibrant reds. Traditional designs included geometric patterns. With a new era of tourism, plant, bird, lizard, and other desert animal motifs were incorporated.