Pomo Basketmaking

The prehistoric and historic Pomo Indians made many types of baskets. Even their wikiups were like a basket made of willows and tule. The native baskets were primarily made of black willow, sedge root, and redbud roots and wood. Most baskets are coiled baskets and have 3 colors at most. The designs Are reprentative of geometric patterns and some have snakes on them. The women would fast for three days before maling a baskets - this would purify the women so that they would receive help from the Great Spirit. There was a definite mistake made in the baskets called a dau. The dua allowed for good spirits to come in as well as bad spirits to come out.

The interesting thing about the baskets is that they used a deer bone awl to make 42 stitches per inch. Some of the baskets were made for a womens birth, her first menses, and for her death. Some baskets were burned with the crematiuon of a woman.

Men made willow baby baskets which were woven from the young shoots. They supported the babbies and were carried by the women who collected roots, grass seeds, and berries. It kept the babbies calm as the women worked during the day.

The Pomo have become internationally famous for making bird feather baskets with feathers from larks, flickers, quail, finches, wood peckers, ducks, and blue jays.