North America, Pacific Northwest, the Columbia Plateau, Nez Perce, ca. 1875 CE. A flat twined cornhusk bag adorned with contrasting woven design programs on each side. One one side, a double diamond pattern outlined by repeated squares of green, pink, gold, and red hues with twin black and tan rectangular motifs in the center, all on a natural background. Perfectly complementing this on the verso, is an enlarged diamond pattern delineated in black and pink hues and trimmed by a green step motif, also against the natural ground. The upper and lower ends of the bag are comprised of bands of darker natural strands with a white woven draw string at the top. The indigenous peoples of the Columbia Plateau have a longstanding tradition of woven bags and basketry created in the winter months, following the spring and summer harvests and food processing activities. As far back as 1805, Lewis and Clark were gifted with berries and roots contained in such woven works. Native weavers made flat twined cornhusk bags adorned with beautiful geometric designs, sometimes with different design motifs on each side, as we see in this example. Because these woven bags demanded great labor and skill, and the resulting finished pieces were so beauteous, examples like these were prized possessions, passed along from family to family, from tribe to tribe, and from generation to generation. Size: 19.75" L x 14.25" W (50.2 cm x 36.2 cm)

According to the Nez Perce National Historical Park Museum Collections website, "Reservation life limited access to wetlands where raw materials had always been gathered. Commercial fibers such as cornhusk, wool and cotton twine replaced gathered materials. These were available at first through trade, and then in general stores. Weavers made flat twined cornhusk bags and round 'sally' bags from cornhusk, wool, and cotton twine."

Provenance: Ex-Santa Monica, CA collection

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Normal wear and fading to weaving. Some fraying and separation to peripheries.