Baskets Are For Keeps

By Teresa Ambord

If collecting baskets appeals to you, there is a world of opportunity and variety out there. In some instances the design and weave of the baskets reflect the geographic area of origin.

Buttocks Baskets

One popular style of basket is known as the "buttocks" basket. Buttocks baskets are hand woven and ribbed. They are also known as melon baskets, gizzard baskets, and fanny baskets. They have a wrapped, "God's eye" pattern where the handles meet, also known as "Ojo de Dios". Originally the buttocks baskets appeared in Europe and Britain and were made with willow woods of England. Native Americans adopted the style and began to create the basket, replacing the willows with North American honeysuckle vines.

Shaker Baskets

Another popular basket is the shaker. These baskets were named for the Shaker religious sect that made them. The Shakers learned basketry from the Algonquin Indians. They turned basketry into an industry that set new standards of quality craftsmanship and design.

An unusual aspect of the Shaker basket industry was that wooden molds were used to form the baskets. This allowed them to produce baskets in commercial quantities. Both men and women of the Shaker sect were involved in basket making. Men provided the materials, while women actually made the baskets.

Nantucket Lightship Baskets

A basket that was at one time very regional was the Nantucket Lightship Basket. Originally the particular artistry of these baskets was found nowhere else but the island of Nantucket. There, over 150 years ago, the captains and crewman who manned the Nantucket lightships created the baskets that were first known as "rattan". The techniques used to produce the Nantucket baskets were learned from Native Americans. Molds were also used in the production of Nantucket baskets.

Nantucket Lightship purses were actually baskets with lids. At one time they were a symbol of Nantucket Island, though their popularity spread the purses everywhere.

Purchasing Baskets Online

  • You can see and purchase a wide variety of the buttocks baskets, shaker baskets, Nantucket baskets, and many more interesting varieties by visiting Simply Baskets.
  • Visit the Ruby Lane online store to see baskets handmade by the Amish. The Ruby Lane store sells baskets custom made for them by the Menno Byler family of Iowa on the edge of the Ozarks. The whole Byler family, including six of the seven children, makes baskets. Only the youngest, at two years old, is not yet involved. Among the treasures you will find on the Web site is a double-pie basket, perfect for carrying or storing two pies.
  • If Indian baskets are what you admire, you'll see an interesting variety when you visit the Indian Territory Web site.
  • Simply Baskets also carries Native American baskets.
  • You can see a great collection of baskets belonging to J.A. Stubblefield, who gathered them from all over the United States, and Australia. Click on his Web site: Jaskets 




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