Historical/Cultural Context

Bitter Water Clan

The Diné (Navajo) tribe is made up of forty family lineages, or clans, that claim a common ancestry to Changing Woman. The Todích'íí'nii, or Bitter Water Clan, was one of the original groups formed by Changing Woman. According to Diné lore, Changing Woman created four men by rubbing their skin under her arms. One of these men went searching for water and dug in the ground. The water he found was bitter and undrinkable and thus the Bitter Water Clan was named. Other clans include: Standing House Clan, Near the Water Clan, Mud Clan, Water Edge Clan, and Two Streams Meet Clan.

Navajo Basket Weaving

Navajo rugs, silverwork, and sand painting are recognized around the world for their beauty, workmanship, and artistry. Navajo basket weaving, on the other hand, was believed for many years to be a lost art. Even the familiar black, red, and white “Navajo wedding baskets,” that are integral to many traditional ceremonies, were usually woven by neighboring Utes and Paiutes and then traded to the Navajo for nearly a century. 

The dramatic 20th century decline in Navajo basketry was the result of several factors. Production of utilitarian baskets died out as modern containers became more readily available and the strict taboos dictating how and when ceremonial baskets could be woven led to a significant decline in their production. But perhaps more than anything else, basket weaving declined as Navajo rug weaving emerged as a primary source of cash for Navajo women. 

The Influence of Art Markets

By the early 1960s, few Navajo women were making baskets, and had turned to rug weaving.

In the 1970s, Mary was encouraged by local traders and the growing Indian art market to transition from rug weaving to basket weaving. Using the traditional ceremonial basket design, she began by first stretching the technical aspects of her baskets by making them too large for ceremonial use. During this period she produced coulded trays in larger and larger dimensions, some reaching five feet in diameter, as well as jars, another traditional form, in very large scale.