received this basket from my grandmother estate. She claims to have recieved it from a hopi medicine man in the 1950s but said he could have gotten it as a gift from Africa. It beautiful and huge. The Hopi have a sacred Butterfly ceremony and if you look at the basket from a distance you can see the outline of a beautiful butterfly. They sacrifice a young girl,during this ceremony to appease thier God. The ceremony happens once,every 4 years and is the most sacred of all. The two horned efegies are a clan of the Hopi and look represented here. Also the men with walking sticks could be Hopi planting with thier stick. The animals that appear to have trunks I think are sacrificed and the trunk looking things are really the blood letting of the said sacrifice. Well that's what I have found so far.
Description
Category
Other
Medium
Grasses
Distinguishing marks
None
Condition
Excellent
Size and dimensions of this item
Bottom 5 inches mouth 20 inches 12-13 inches tall
Date Period
1880-1920?
Weight
2pounds and 6 ounces
History
A gift from a Hopi medicine man to my grandmother in the 1950 is her story. Maybe a gift to the Hopi too from an Africana? I've sent pictures to many native appraisers and they all say it looks African I sent to african sites and they do not know or think maybe it's Central American with the ant eaters. I'm excited to find out if it has monetary value besides its great beauty and the mystery that surrounds it's origin and piecing together the story on how I ended up with such a treasure. The Hopi Butterfly ceremony connection I've made is the best direction I've found so far. If you look from the top into the basket from a,little,distance you can see the outline of a butterfly
Price
Not sure
For Sale?
Yes
Photos
