Basketry
A Native American Craft for Kids
This basketry project is designed for elementary school students.
Materials for the Native American Basketry Project:
- Small plastic tubs (butter, pop, etc.) cleaned
- yarn
- scissors
Directions for the Native American Basketry Project:
- Cut the tub into odd number of strips no smaller than one inch
- Weave the yarn in and out of the strips. Try using different colors of yarn to make unusual designs on the basketry project. Keep yarn snug so the plastic is not visible.
- Knot at the top and tuck the yarn inside the woven basketry portion.
Native American Design Reference Sites
The Language of Native American Baskets
Source: Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
Native American Designs
This site has a great collection of designs with very good background on each of the patterns.
Source: Buck-A-Gram
Native American Designs and Colors – Natural Dyes
Learn the sumbolism behind various colors in Native American art.
Source: Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs
What Does this Indian Symbol Mean?
“Over the years, both Native American designs (merely decorative forms) and symbols (a sign representing an idea, a quality or an association) have been subject to “interpretation” by non-Indian dealers and traders. Often, these interpretations are explained in terms of Anglo-European concepts that were nonexistent to the Native American. The result frequently bears little or no relationship to the true meaning of the symbols.”
Source: Wingspread Guides of New Mexico
