Basket: rivercane, storage

This large storage basket was made by Eva Wolfe, an accomplished Cherokee basket weaver. Baskets such as these were made to store domestic goods, from dry foodstuffs to clothing. The natural aeration of the single weave allows the stored goods to remain dry. The basket was woven upward from a square base with an overall diagonal design. The circumference of the basket tapers inward before flaring out again at the rim. A series of bands surrounds the top of the basket, alternating between walnut and bloodroot dyed cane. The colors are from traditional native plants used to dye the rivercane. The dark brown is from walnut and the brighter orange from bloodroot. The basket was woven in a diagonal Cross on a Hill design; its neck and rim are encircled by a double Chain. Eva Queen Wolfe (1922-2004) was born in 1922 and lived in the Soco community on the Qualla Boundary. She learned to make baskets from her mother and later learned the complex double weave technique. The date of this basket is not known; the date span represents the time the basket maker was active