Earrings, soap root brush miniatures; silver hooks for pierced ears; light grey brown wrap at top, with dark brown fibers forming the bristles.
Donor:
Ira Jacknis
Collection place:
California
Verbatim coll. place:
United States, California.
Culture or time period:
Ohlone
Maker or artist:
Ramona Garibay [Ohlone]
Collector:
Ira Jacknis
Collection date:
5-24-1997
Materials:
Root (plant material) and Silver (metal)
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Earrings (jewelry) and Miniature (size attribute)
Accession date:
June 26, 1997
Context of use:
Made for sale
Department:
Native California (archaeology and ethnology)
Dimensions:
length 4.7 centimeters and width 2.5 centimeters
Comment:
Original use of full sized brushes was to clean mortars and baskets. The soap root plant is gathered, the bulb is cleaned, boiled and strained to make a paste for the handle. The upper portion of the plant is used for the bristles. Wrap at top of brush, 1cm. long, bristles, 2.1 cm. long.