For Immediate Release:  May 28, 2003
Contact: Michael J. Williams, 970-882-4811

 
UTE ELDERS DEMONSTRATE BASKETRY AT ANASAZI HERITAGE CENTER

A group of Ute elders living in White Mesa, Utah, will demonstrate traditional basketry techniques on Sunday, June 15 at the BLM Anasazi Heritage Center near Dolores, Colorado. They will weave and share their knowledge with museum visitors from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Special Exhibit Gallery.

Their appearance is in connection with the museum's current special exhibit "A Celebration of Basketweaving," on loan from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and featuring modern Native American baskets from throughout the Southwest and beyond.

Ute basketry is diverse in style, and reflects both functional needs and the influence of neighboring tribes. Their rare twined baskets resemble those of their Paiute relatives of eastern California, while Ute coiled baskets are similar to Pueblo and Apache products. Baskets were especially important to nomadic, hunting peoples, since baskets are lighter and less fragile than pottery vessels.

Ute baskets are rarely seen in museum collections, and often lack information about the maker or place of origin. The most commonly seen types are "water jugs" made by coiling and lined with pine pitch. "Berry baskets" were pocket-shaped and used while gathering wild foods. According to scholar Craig Bates, the Utes also made the coiled trays known today as "Navajo wedding baskets." They traded these to the Navajos who used them for a variety of ceremonial purposes.

Gathering and preparing the raw materials can be as time-consuming as the basket weaving itself. In the Southwest, sumac and willow are gathered in the fall, winter, or early spring. Basket makers carefully tend and prune selected patches of these plants to assure an annual harvest of long, straight shoots.

The Anasazi Heritage Center is operated by the Bureau of Land Management, and is open daily from 9 to 5. Special exhibits and events are made possible through the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program, and more are scheduled thoughout the summer. For more information, call the Center at (970) 882-4811 or visit the museum's web site at www.co.blm.gov/ahc.

-BLM-