The Significance of Navajo Wedding Baskets
A group of Native American women outdoors with a Navajo wedding basket in-hand. Image by Cowboys & Indians Magazine.
When planning a traditional or religious wedding, couples often look for places to blend the culture and traditions of their families. And sometimes, they find wedding rituals from other cultures that speak to them.
The Navajo wedding basket is one such tradition that has deep cultural significance. They represent a deep-rooted culture and serve as a reminder that humans are connected to the natural and spiritual world around them.
Let’s look at the history of these baskets, how they are used, and what they represent.
Historical Context of the Wedding Baskets
A group of Navajo totems being displayed. Image by Christopher Osten.
Baskets are an important piece of Navajo tradition. Historically, the Navajo were a nomadic tribe. They learned the art of weaving from the Puebloan people, who lived in the same geographic area.
As they mingled with the Puebloans, the Navajo adapted the practice into their daily lives. They held foods, spices, and important materials. The act of basket weaving became a community activity, bringing women together.
Once they settled into specific regions, their ceremonies became more in-depth and involved more intricate baskets. These pieces of art were incorporated into birth celebrations, marriages, and other important milestones. Not only were they functional, but each basket held an important meaning.
Originally, the baskets only contained white, black, and natural tones, but eventually gained red designs in the 20th century. Designs have also become more complicated and diverse, but the cultural significance has stayed the same.
Cultural Significance in Navajo Traditions
Also known as the Diné, the basket represents a state of balance and harmony known as Hozhooji, or Blessing Way. They are used throughout one’s life to symbolize important stages and milestones.
During a wedding ceremony, the Navajo wedding basket is used to hold gifts for the couple or the bride’s family. These gifts are given in even numbers for good luck.
They are also used to hold blue cornmeal, which is blessed with pollen and mixed with water to create a paste that is eaten by the bride and groom during the ceremony. When inverted, the Navajo wedding baskets can be used as drums.
Navajo wedding baskets are also displayed in the home as a symbol of prosperity and good luck. They can be displayed on the mantle or hung on the wall. It’s important to remember that the opening seam may not face east, as this is reserved for culturally significant ceremonies, like weddings.
These heirloom pieces can be passed down from generation to generation. They serve as a reminder of the happy union and the significance of Navajo culture.
Symbolism and Design of Navajo Wedding Baskets
A Navajo wedding basket on display in a retail store. Image by Tammie Nakai and Lema’s Kokopelli Gallery.
There are several traditional designs for Navajo wedding baskets. The most common one includes a large white or natural colored star shape in the center, which represents the beginning of life. This is typically followed by red and black bands, and a black and white triangle motif along the edge.
Patterns such as spider-woman crossings, zig-zags, and hooked designs are also used to create unique pieces. These designs all connect to the world as the Navajo saw it. They took inspiration from the mountains, the sunsets, and the sky.
Most baskets contain three banded patterns, with more added depending on the importance of the ceremony. However, each color group typically represents an aspect of life and nature.
The pale patterns represent the rain and clouds. They are also used to communicate birth or new journeys. When used with other colors, these pale fibers represent light.
Red patterns are rainbows, which stand for happiness and the bounty of life. It is believed that red also represents marriage. These colorful bands often wrap around other patterns to signify an important event.
The outer designs represent the spiritual beings that surround the natural world, as well as the source of creation. These patterns can be made from natural and black fibers to show the connection between lightness and darkness.
Modern designs have more color and intricate patterns compared to the repeating patterns of the past. But what remains the same is the meaning behind each row and pattern. The wedding basket is typically custom-made for the couple, who can decide which designs and symbols they want.
The Making of a Navajo Wedding Basket
Navajo wedding baskets are made from natural materials, like sumac, willow, and yucca. The fibers can be dyed or left natural, depending on what is needed for the intended design.
Navajo baskets are woven using strips of sumac wrapped around rods from the same plant and secured using yucca fibers and herringbone needles.
Basketweavers will collect the fibers in bulk and allow them to dry out. To achieve different thicknesses and patterns, they pull the dried fibers through the lid of a tin can to split or dye them, depending on the need. Once this is done, they use unsplit sumac rods as their foundation to weave their intricate designs.
Nowadays, baskets can be made from other materials and tools, but many craftsmen choose the traditional route to stay true to the tradition. All weavers get their inspiration from nature. Some pieces reflect the patterns of sunsets while others may mimic the peaks and valleys of mountains.
Many ceremonial baskets are crafted with a line break, or spirit line, where the stitches start and stop. This allowed the medicine man or woman to run their hands around the rim to find where the weave begins.
It’s important because this point of the basket must face east during the ceremony to honor the purity, renewal, and rebirth brought by the rising sun. When not in use, it’s important that the spirit line does not point east, as that’s considered bad luck.
Navajo wedding baskets are expertly crafted and take a lot of time to produce. You can expect to pay at least $150 dollars for a small wedding basket. However, that is a small price to pay for a piece of Native American culture that has been created by hand.
Navajo Spiritual and Sacred Aspects
Two Native American girls holding wedding baskets outdoors. Image by Gabrielle Raine.
Although each Navajo wedding basket design is unique and interpretations may vary, there are common spiritual themes connected with each one.
Traditional Navajo beliefs and values focus on the creation story. The central spot, often made with white or light colors, represents sipapu, which is where the Navajo people came to this world from their prior one through a river reed. It can also represent birth or new life, depending on the interpretation.
The outer banding, normally containing black fibers mixed with natural or red, represents the spirit world that surrounds the natural one. Different colors stand for the struggles and blessings one experiences in life.
Finally, the line from the center of the basket to the outer edge is there to remind the recipient that no matter how dark life gets, there is always a pathway of light that will lead you to better days. This is a great message for any newlywed couple who are starting their journey together.
Each basket tells its own story, so you may interpret the design differently than another person. That is OK, especially since a Navajo wedding basket is so personal.
Conclusion
Navajo wedding baskets are an important tradition that combines art and cultural significance. Not only decorative, these woven masterpieces symbolize life, love, and nature.
Each basket is woven with love and care. The wedding baskets are important components of Navajo wedding ceremonies and can help honor your own roots in a modern wedding ceremony.
If you choose to incorporate these wedding baskets while planning your wedding, remember to respect and appreciate their history. Always ensure that you purchase these baskets directly from Navajo artisans to ensure you are supporting their craft. Respect their tradition and honor their significance.
Remember, this isn’t just a piece of art; it is a piece of Navajo culture!