Customer Reviews

The Fine Art of California Indian Basketry

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If you're an art historian + are going to give a lecture on the art of Native California, you definitely need this book. It's beautifully produced and very inclusive.

It covers all basketry traditions from the various geographical areas in California, looks at differences between and within tribal styles, includes utility as well as art or "tourist" baskets, discusses baskets by makers both unknown and extremely famous, and it doesn't ignore baskets made by *male* weavers. No tradition is marginalized in favor of another in this work, and that's unusual!

What makes this book really great, though, are the mini-interviews with contemporary Native California weavers and other artists (including the late Vivien Hailstone and Harry Fonseca) about the individual pieces reproduced in the book. These people give the reader insights into weaving that would otherwise be missed. It's nice to see a book on Native America where the Indian voice is so fundamentally present.

I particularly enjoyed this book because I am interested in California Indian history. Indian basket weaving is truly an art and I'm glad to see it handed down from the master basket weavers to the generations that follow. This book features some of the very talented weavers. I specifically got this book because my cousin is featured in it.