Great Basin and Southwest Native American Weaving and Pottery

Learn more about baskets and pottery created from the Paiute, Apache, Navajo, and Ancient Pueblo tribes.

Hopi Basket Hopi Basket (1956) by HopiHutchings Museum Institute

Native American Baskets

This basket is from the Hopi tribe. Hopi baskets are made with rabbit brush, sumac plant, and yucca plant. Designs found on Hopi baskets often have symbols relating to daily life, religion, and culture.

Hopi Towns, Basket Maker (1900) by A.C. VromanThe J. Paul Getty Museum

Weaving

Materials that are used for baskets include pine needles, yucca leaves, grasses, and animal hair. Patterns can be made by changing color, material size and placement of a certain weave style.

Paiute Water Tus Paiute Water Tus (1890) by PaiuteHutchings Museum Institute

Paiute Water Tus

This water tus was made in 1890. This was used for carrying water or grain. The handles are made of hair.

Apache Water Tus Apache Water Tus (1956) by ApacheHutchings Museum Institute

Apache Water Tus

This water tus is an olla and was used for cooking. It dates back to the 1500s. Native Americans used pitch and tree resin to make this basket waterproof. The handles are made of hair.

Native American Weaved Basket by Ancient PuebloHutchings Museum Institute

Paiute Storage Basket

Finely designed, this basket stretches out wide with low walls and has a frayed center. The brown symbols represent the four cardinal directions.
This basket would be used to gather food.

Under the Palms - Cahuilla (negative 1924; print 1926) by Edward S. CurtisThe J. Paul Getty Museum

Basketry

Evidence of basket making dates back 25,000 years ago in the Czech Republic and in the United States, some basketry has been found dating back 10,000-11,000 years ago. The art of making baskets still exists in many cultures around the world.

Ancient Pueblo Bowl Ancient Pueblo Bowl by Chaco Anicent PuebloHutchings Museum Institute

Native American Pottery

This Ancient Pueblo bowl is from the Chaco region. This style of 5 divided circles around a center circle typically depicts a cross-cut of a cacao pod or a peyote cactus. Both suggest that this bowl was highly significant in its use, as both plants were priceless trade items.

Loading 3D model

Ancient Pueblo Clay Bowl by Ancient PuebloHutchings Museum Institute

Chaco Ancient Pueblo Clay bowl

3D view of the Chaco Ancient Pueblo Clay bowl

The Potter (1906) by Edward S. CurtisThe J. Paul Getty Museum

Pottery

Native Americans used clay to create their pottery. Sometimes they added materials like plant fibers to prevent cracking. Then they shaped the clay into the form they desired and smoothed out the air bubbles. Once the clay had dried, they would paint the pottery.

San Juan Anasazi Flat Bottomed Cup with Handle San Juan Anasazi Flat Bottomed Cup with Handle (c. 700 - 1000) by San Juan AnasaziHutchings Museum Institute

Keyhole Handle Cup

This Ancestral Puebloan cup features a keyhole, or a "capital T" in the handle. The T aperture indicates a direct connection to the Chacoan culture, as well as subsequent Aztec, Solomon, and Paquime sites in Mexico and New Mexico. It was created sometime between 700-1000 AD. 

Kayenta Anasazi Plain Ware Pitcher with Stopper Kayenta Anasazi Plain Ware Pitcher with Stopper (1956) by Kayenta AnasaziHutchings Museum Institute

Ancient Pueblo Clay Pitcher

Plain ware pitcher with stopper from the Kayenta region. This pitcher would be used for storing or pouring liquid.

Chaco Anasazi Flat Bottomed Pitcher Chaco Anasazi Flat Bottomed Pitcher (1956) by Chaco AnasaziHutchings Museum Institute

Ancient Pueblo Clay Pitcher

This is a flat bottomed pitcher. This pitcher is from the Chaco region in Northern New Mexico. It features patterns directly related to Zapotec sites in Mexico. As Chaco was a major trade center, such artistic influences appeared on many Chacoan ceramics.

Native American Corrugated Olla Native American Corrugated Olla (c. 700 - 1100) by Ancient PuebloHutchings Museum Institute

Corrugated Olla

This olla was used as a cooking pot and was made sometime between 700-1100 AD. Corrugations create a greater surface area than a similarly sized smooth pot. The greater surface area represents a technological advancement as it allows the pot to heat up nearly twice as fast.

Anasazi Pot Containing Beads Anasazi Pot Containing Beads (1925) by AnasaziHutchings Museum Institute

Ancient Pueblo Pot Containing Beads

This is from the Pueblo V time period. There are black markings on the outside of the pot and holes drilled in the sides to hang it up.  These shell beads were incredibly valuable trade items, typically coming from California.

Pueblo Pottery (1) Pueblo Pottery (1) (1956) by PuebloHutchings Museum Institute

Navajo Pot

Defined and detailed painting on this pottery shows that this piece came from a more modern and advanced civilization. Pottery that does not have detailed designs come from an older time period.

Anasazi Corrugated Olla Anasazi Corrugated Olla (c. 700 - 1100) by AnasaziHutchings Museum Institute

Ancient Pueblo Corrugated Pot

Corrugated pottery has a unique rough and textured surface. Some benefits of using corrugated pots are that the pot is easier to handle and that it can warm up faster during cooking. This pot was created sometime between 700-1100 AD.

Native American Clay Bowl Native American Clay Bowl by Ancient PuebloHutchings Museum Institute

Ancient Pueblo Bowl

This clay bowl is from the Chaco region of New Mexico. It features black triangular markings on the inside. Such black on white pieces were common trade items that Chacoans traded to Mimbres and Paquime in northern Mexico.

Zuni Pottery Zuni Pottery (1956) by ZuniHutchings Museum Institute

Zuni Pot

This dates to the late Pueblo V time period. It may have been painted to symbolize culture and would have been used in ceremonies.

Zuni Pottery Zuni Pottery (1956) by ZuniHutchings Museum Institute

Painted Clay Bowl

This bowl was made by the Zuni tribe and was found in New Mexico. Native Americans painted their pottery with pigments made from rocks and plants. When making paintbrushes, they would use hair or chewed yucca plant tips to form the bristles.

Pueblo Pottery (2) Pueblo Pottery (2) (1956) by PuebloHutchings Museum Institute

Ancient Pueblo Clay Bowl

This bowl was painted with red, black, and white pigment. It may have been painted to symbolize culture or to be used in ceremonies.

Credits: Story

The artifacts featured in this exhibit come from the Hutchings Native American Collection. Created by Hutchings Museum Staff Curators.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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