Illustration: Selection of Chemehuevi basketry and pottery.
The Chemehuevi, like so many indigenous cultures across the South West of the US, were and still are expert basketry makers. The Chemehuevi have a long tradition of basketry that extends across countless generations. The basketry craft itself was the traditional domain of women as it was across much of North America.
Coiled basketry was the norm with the Chemehuevi and was made using mainly willow. It is said that the craft technique was so sophisticated that liquids could be carried without leaking. Basketry dominated the Chemehuevi domestic life as it was used for a wide range of containers, carriers, and storage jars.
The decorative work used to highlight areas of some of the basketry, was unusually often painted onto the surface rather than woven into the fabric of the basket.
Illustration: Chemehuevi basket maker, 1903.
The Chemehuevi or Nuwu as they refer to themselves, have a close and long relationship with the Mohave Desert of southern California and western Arizona. They, along with a number of other indigenous and independent cultures, have shared the desert for countless generations. It was a highly balanced and at times precarious existence, but the Chemehuevi were able to use the resources that were available including the raw materials for their basketry, which they used on a much larger scale than that of clay-based pottery, even though clay was used extensively throughout the South West.
The Chemehuevi have had a tough and tangled history with the US government, state governments, the US army, railway companies, and various European settlers. However, the Chemehuevi are still with us and though they may have lost most of their traditional lands, some of their customs, language and people, they have been able to maintain their connection with traditional basketry.
Illustration: Chemehuevi boy, 1907.
Mary L. Claw, a Chemehuevi basket weaver, is considered an artist in her field and teaches her traditional basketry skills at various venues including the Arizona Western College. Her skills have been handed down to her by previous generations of women and she is now one of the custodians of the cultural basketry heritage of the Chemehuevi.
The Chemehuevi have a comprehensive and interesting website dealing with aspects of the people and culture, past and present. The website can be found here. Also, if anyone is interested in the work of Mary L. Claw, there is an article with illustrations of her at work on the Smoki Museum website, a museum dedicated to the indigenous cultures of the South West and their arts & crafts contributions. Their website and the relevant article can be found here.
Further reading links:
Chemehuevi website
The Smoki Museum
The Chemehuevis by Carobeth Laird by Carobeth Laird by Carobeth Laird
Mirror and Pattern: George Laird's World of Chemehuevi Mythology
Chemehuevi Indians of Southern California
Chemehuevi people of the Coachella Valley: A short history of the Sovereign Nation of the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians Indians of Southern California
