Float Basket

Datec. 1910

MediumBear grass, cedar bark, dye, glass float probably from Japan

DimensionsOverall: 12 × 12 1/2 in. (30.5 × 31.8 cm)

Object numberT0802

Credit LineGift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw

Photograph by Richard Walker

Label TextJapanese glass fishing floats were used by fishermen to suspend nets and were known to wash up on the shores of the Northwest Coast. A talented Nuu-chah-nulth weaver covered this float with finely woven basketry, depicting major symbols of Nuu-chah-nulth culture. The most prominent image is the thunderbird, a supernatural being that hunts whales. Several small Nuu-chah-nulth canoes carrying hunters on their quest are depicted near the top of the float. Basketry floats were not used in whale hunting but rather honor the tradition. On this float, the phrase “Made in Canada” serves as a memento for travelers and tourists, while the imagery celebrates one of the defining elements of Nuu-chah-nulth culture. Large basketry floats such as this one are very rare.
ProvenanceNatalie Fay Linn, Portland, Oregon
BibliographyGustafson, Eleanor H. "Museum Accessions". Magazine Antiques. Vol CLXV, no 3, March 2004: 34.

Crank. Mikaela. "On the Winds: Shards." Native Peoples. May/June 2004: 16.

"Tenth Anniversary of the Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 1995-2005" in Heritage magazine, 2005, vol 20. pg. 42.

Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 354.

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