The Navajo used baskets for a wide variety of everyday functions such as storing food, as well as ceremonial purposes, the most well-known being wedding ceremonies. Traditional Navajo baskets feature black and red bands or triangular patterns and a braided rim. Usually, the artist would leave an opening, or spirit line, in the banded design.
To make a basket, the artist creates long laces of sumac, willow or yucca by hand then weaves the basket in concentric circles from the center, alternating the laces to create patterns in the design. Navajo wedding baskets represent the fundamental beliefs of the Navajo people. The center is the point of emergence, with the four sacred mountains, sky and earth all included in the design.
Traditional Navajo ceremonial baskets are made of three colors: Red, black and white. The red represents the sun, black the clouds, and white the sacred mountains.
