Native Great Basin Peoples: The Intersection of Weaving and Ceramic Design

This project is being submitted as part of the requirements for ARTH 3270, Native North American Art. What circumstances caused basket weaving to co-evolve with pottery and what designs and symbols may have been influenced by that connection; might there be differences in the cultural context of the designs between the Peoples of the Great Basin.Embellishments and details are found on many historical Native American items and are a part of the culture of weaving and stoneware vessels.Why did Native People feel the need to put decoration on the items that they made? Contemporary artists take stretched fabric or ceramic stoneware and carefully apply paint. Humans throughout time have attached spiritual and social meanings to these bits of colorful cloth and clay; with that shared consciousness, the people are able to bond together with a mutual popular culture. This need to decorate is an integral part of the human shared existence