- Basket 3 : Navajo Wedding Trey Basket
NAVAJO WEDDING BASKETS are woven by both the Navajo and Paiute weavers of the Southwest, and are made entirely out of sumac and decorated with natural or aniline dyes. At a Navajo marriage, a new basket is required to serve traditional corn meal mush to the wedding couple, then it is passed around for the guests. As in all cultures, weddings and the activities surrounding them are a very personal and preferential thing. This being said, some traditions are enduring, having been repeated time and time again. For the Navajo people, weddings have always been cause for celebration. Within the Navajo culture, wedding baskets are symbolic and of great importance.
The Navajo Wedding basket is a coiled, woven basket made from willow, which is bundled together with stitching made from split willow or sumac.
Navajo Wedding Blessing
May you find the strength of an eagle’s wings,
And the courage and faith to soar to great heights,
And may you be granted the universal wisdom to
carry you there.
—NAVAJO SONG OF BLESSING AFTER VOWS
9.5″ diameter
