Grade; 7- 9
Title: Basket Coiling using Navajo Indian Design
Brief History:
The Navajo Indians are well known for their basket weaving. The four basic techniques to weave baskets are wicker, plaiting, twining, and coiling. Wicker, plaiting and twining are all weaving with a weft (horizontal) and a warp (vertical) of natural materials. Coiling is a technique similar to sewing.
Coiling is a technique that is based on a bundle foundation. The foundation coil is made of pine needles, sweet grass and willow twigs. The flexible plant bases of the coil allow the coil to wrap around itself to create a bowl shape. The coil can also be different thickness, depending on the baskets’ purpose.
The Navajo wedding basket is one of the many recognizable designs in Navajo basket art. The wedding basket is filled with rice at weddings. The Bride and Groom eat from the basket first, then it is passed around. It is passed around until the basket is empty. The last person to eat from the basket gets to take it home.
Standards:
2.3 Measurement and Estimation
8.1 Historical Analysis and Skill Development
9.2 Historical and Cultural Context
9.1 Production
Goal:
The student will learn the technique of coiling in basket making.
Objective:
Students will learn how to coil.
Students will draw out their design.
Students will understand the pattern of the Navajo Wedding Basket.
Students will learn about materials used in Navajo Indian basket making.
Resource Material:
The teacher will provide examples of Coiled Navajo Wedding Basket. Examples of other Native Navajo design will be provided. The teacher will show students how to coil in a figure eight stitch to lock coils together.
Material:
Yarn (red, beige, and black)
Coil
scissors and needles
Teacher Preparation:
Teacher will show students the Navajo Wedding Basket pattern
Teacher will demonstrate coiling.
Teacher will show how to layout design for basket.
Teacher will tell students about the natural materials used by Navajo Indians to make baskets
Teacher will explain dyeing process of natural materials
Teacher will have symbols from Navajo designs as reference.
Teacher Introduction:
The Navajo Indians are well known for their basket weaving. There are four basic weaving techniques, and they are wicker, plaiting, twining, and coiling. Wicker, twining and plaiting are all weaving with a weft ( horizontal) and a warp (vertical). Coiling is similar to sewing.
The coiling technique is based on a bundle foundation. The bundle is created with natural materials that are bound together to create a coil. The Navajo Indians form the coil base from pine needles, sweet grass, and/or willow twigs. Many baskets are made of different materials depending on the natural resources available. The flexible plant-based coils provide a strong moldable coil that can wrap around itself to make a bowl shape.
The coil can be different thickness depending on the base materials and the eventual purpose of the container. There are also two types of coiling one is called close coiling the other is loose coiling. Close coiling means there is no space I between the coils. Open coiling means there is an open space between the coils.
The Navajo Wedding basket is a recognizable design in basket making. The wedding basket is used at weddings. The bowl is filled with rice. The bride and Groom are the first to eat out of it, then it is pasted around. When the basket is empty, whoever has the bowl gets to keep it.
The beige, black, and red colors of the basket also have a meaning.
• Beige- represents the Navajo people. The beige color is the natural color of the fiber used.
• Red- represents the earth - the red is made from the root of the Alder Leaf Mountain Mahogani that is boiled down to a dye.
• Black- represents the hardships they travel through - the black is made from pinion pitch which is crushed with sumac leaves and coal.
Ask students to use only Navajo Indian designs and colors in there baskets.
Directions:1. Students will draw their designs on the paper template using Navajo colors.
2. Each student receives a yard of coil, needle, and yarn
3. Students are shown how to wrap yarn around the coil.
4. The beginning stitch is shown using a figure eight formation around the two coils to secure coils together.
5. Students will start to create their coil basket using the design they created..
Critique:
Students will evaluate their work and ask what would be different if they were to use natural materials? Did all students use Navajo symbols? Did all student understand the figure eight stitch.
Time Budget:
10 minutes introduction
30 minutes for class to master stitching technique.
10 minutes at the end of class for discussion of technique and symbols.
Vocabulary:
Coiling - a weaving technique
Warp - the vertical line of weaving
Weft - the horizontal lines of weaving
Close coiling - a tight space between coils
Open coiling - an open space between coils
Weaving -to interlace materials
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