Light basket, or "saranip," made from linden bast ("shina"). It is woven using a technique known as twining, with linden bast "wefts" roughly 1" - 1.5" apart passing through stationary vertical "warps" of untwisted/unbraided linden bast. Rectangular base is 12" x 3' but has been flattened in storage. Warps are gathered just below rim and braided together; these single-plait braids are criss-crossed in pairs; all braids are then folded horizontally and braided together into the rim. Carrying cord extends from rim as continuous braid and attaches to opposite point along rim. Gift of Kawazoe, Shuro. length - 14", width - 12.5", depth - 3
Donor:
Dai Williams, Estate of Karin Nelson, and Karin Nelson
The style, materials, and twined and woven techniques characteristic of this basket are associated with the Ainu, the indigenous peoples of Hokkaidō, Japan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These types of baskets are commonly found in museum collections of Ainu material; they are very light for easy transport and, for the Ainu, easily replaceable.