10/24/2026
The Indigenous inhabitants of the Aleutian Islands, the Unangax̂ are one of many arctic dwelling Native cultures. Commonly known as “Aleut”, this name was given to the people by Russian colonizers who arrived on the islands in the 1700s, their self chosen name is Unangan (eastern dialect) and Unangas (western dialect). Both terms can be translated to "original people" and “Unangax̂” is considered to be the best collective term for the people, it is correct in both the eastern and western dialects.
This basket comes from the Unangax̂, or Aleut, and is a very good example of a carrying basket with an open weave and braided rim. Basketry is traditionally done by women, and early Aleut women developed a specialized tool for this work: their thumbnails. They would grow a thumbnail out so it was suitably long enough, before sharpening it. Sea-lyme grass is the most common material used in basket weaving, and creates soft, flexible baskets that are then decorated using false embroidery. This basket has traces of the false embroidery still clinging to it, but unfortunately this design addition was done in wool and the moths have gotten to it. Besides the damage to the wool, this basket is in great shape and features no breaks or splits in the weaving despite being rather large and delicate.
8” tall, 11” wide. Available on our site. $975.
