Basketry is an important part of our history.  Basket making is an art handed down from family to family; baskets were used as granaries for storage of food such as acorns.  There are many varieties of acorns in southern California that are gathered in the fall and made into a delicious pudding called Shawee. Some say the taste is similar to unsweetened custard, and it is a tasty side dish to our meals.  Baskets were traded for money as they became more collectible to outsiders. The (below left) baskets are from the Papago Tribe. The (below right) picture is a Kumeyaay basket.

 

    Basket number1
 

    

(Above left ) Grinding Stones that were used to de-shell acorns and later when dried was ground into a powder to prepare the acorns for Shawee. (Above right) The Grinding Stones where the women would sit to grind the acorns. Those who remember those times recall the pleasant atmosphere, listening to the sound of the pestle and mortar. 

(Below) Acorns that are used to make Shawee.

      

To learn more about the basketry, we have a Emmy nominated documentary that was directed by Edward Hermoza Kramer. The documentary is on the Kumeyaay Ejidos, south of the border. While just a superficial glimpse of Kumeyaay culture, audiences in general can feel a basic awareness of the Kumeyaay Nation, as well as an elevated sense of understanding as to the complexities of a community in reconstruction on both sides of the border.

click link below to view the documentary:
SURVIVAL IN WEAVE