I have not been able to find even one example of any thing like these online. I’m hoping someone knows a better name or search term. I know their coiled pine needle and they were purchased between 1980 and 91.
I would be thankful for anything at all.
Native American folk art
Could be reflection of Apache Tribe due to type of clothing. Very cool piece.
Here is a link to basket with weave similar to the ones in the single woman display. That basket is located in the Menaul Historical Library of the Southwest which is a repository of the history of the Presbyterian presence in the Southwest. There is contact info: For additional information: call (505) 343-7480 or e-mail archives@menaulhistoricallibrary.org. on the basket exhibited in the link. You may be able to learn who used this weave. Fun stuff. It would be nice to hear what you find.
Basket : 2010.20.005
Thanks @singingriverjewelry, Folk Art helped. I’m looking around at Coushatta basketry now, they’re in the piney woods of east Texas. I have a couple more baskets made like this but they are from North Carolina Cherokee so that’s where I had been looking. I still haven’t seen anything like these “Scenes” as I’m calling them, from a lack of a better description, only effigy baskets with attached limbs but still a single basket. I’ll keep looking. Thanks again.
Don’t give up. Wish I could help but I’m in coastal South Carolina and the baskets we have are sweetgrass. Some occasionally have some pine woven in and all are pricey! That is a nice piece you have.
I also found this located in the Menaul Historical Library of the Southwest it has the same dyed red raffia making up it’s flower that my piece used to make the campfire. To me this further reinforces the thought that this might be the Coushatta tribe of Louisiana that is also in east Texas.
Coushatta Pine Needle Basket located in the Menaul Historical Library
Good work AC. I also believe these, what looks like tourist made folk art pieces are Coushatta. Thanks to this website http://www.koasatiheritage.org/pages/tribal-history/ who teaches us about the Coushattas is where I found these real life “Scenes” your pieces tell us about. This photo shows a man in the same type of dress,
this photo shows a woman preforming the same task. 
Here I have copied a bit of information from their page explaining the pounding process, plus it explains the open fire cooking process that is shown in your scene.
“The Coushatta were traditionally agriculturalists, growing maize and other food crops, and supplementing their diet by hunting game. Corn has always been a major staple for the Coushatta people. Today most Coushatta purchase Indian corn that has been dried to make their cha-wah-ka (corn soup). The dried corn is washed, “lyed” (a process used to soften the outer shell), and thoroughly pounded & sifted, then boiled over an open fire for several hours.”
I wonder, “who wrote the book of love : )”, if this site may be able to date your pieces and also may know someone who wants to purchase these back?
The items that lead us back into history are wonderful but it is always the history learned that I love. Thank you for sharing, Sara
Well I’m not one to do something silly and not laugh about it. I had never considered that what the lady in my piece is doing is using a mortar and pistil. I had always assumed she was churning but seeing the picture and reading the story it’s obviously not a churn but a wooden mortar. One of those duh moments.
That was my first thought too although we know corn was the thing, not butter lol. Shows how conditioned we are to not know the obvious lol. With this said, I’m used to seeing corn ground in the open with/on stones in the southwest. Learned a lot about the Louisianan which is right next-door to Mississippi where we live now. Cool stuff
Praying for the safety of our Turquoise friends in southern states, FL, GA, SC, NC etc. Stay safe Islandmomma
Thanks! We have wind this morning, probably 25-35 mph. Haven’t been able to turn on the news yet. Hope Florida is not as bad as I fear. I was here for Hugo in ‘89 and it was seriously bad! Michael was stronger and I fear people didn’t leave because they didn’t think it would strengthen like it did. When you’re at sea level an 8-12’ storm surge wipes you away. Prayers for all that were in the path!
Sometimes I feel like I’m blind. I own this picture by Kelly Haney. But I didn’t tie it into the pounding/milling of the corn we had talked about previously.
Also on the back it talks about the turtle shells that are in the foreground of the picture. They are filled with pebbles and used for the stomp dance.
I have a set of these shells and a traditional Choctaw dress for use in the dance that has Christian symbolism on it. I haven’t taken pictures of the dress yet. These were made by my late wife’s Great Grandmother. The shells live in one of the honeysuckle baskets on my hearth.
Lastly, Kelly Haney’s Father was Woodrow Haney a flute maker and story teller. I have an adorned flute he made that I’ll save for another post, But I’ll include a couple of teaser pics.
OK…I gotta go to work.
Hi - Regarding your pine needle scene with beehive oven and figures: On page 42 of “Louisiana Coushatta Basket Makers” by Linda P. Langley and Denise E. Bates (LSU Press, 2021), the following is written: “Although it is hard to image the level of skill and creativity required to adapt to new techniques and materials to create these baskets, tribal weavers remembered several such occurrences. For example, Leona Williams Francis recalled her mother making effigy baskets by looking at pictures of animals she had never seen, such as camels and elephants. Using similar visualization skills, Margaret Williams John made a basket with Indians standing on each side of a beehive oven after seeing that scene in a picture.” There is an image of the ‘scene’ (made of pine needles) in the book, also, and the scene differs only slightly from yours. Also, a footnote states this: "Linda Langley later found and purchased the basket on eBay. It still has the original tribal tag identifying Margaret Williams John as the weaver. I am certainly not an expert, but it seems extremely reasonable to believe that the ‘basket scene’ above was surely made by Margaret Williams John. Perhaps you could contact a Coushatta heritage organization or perhaps reach out to the authors of the book via LSU press. Fabulous item, by the way!! - Laura in SC
Well, I’ll be darned! Thank you very much! @Laura1 You certainly seem to be correct. I found a video of the two authors of the book. In it, they show the piece you speak of. I grabbed a screen shot from the video.
Hi AC! Your last post was 8 months ago. Shame on you. 
Hey TAH! I have no excuse! 
I only ask for a blindfold and maybe a last smoke. Vive la révolution!!! 
And in the 8 months you have been MIA have you acquired any new to you Knifewings? I recall you had quite the collection!
Nice!!!
Do you know what the white inlay is?
