One of the most
interesting coiled baskets is the wedding plaque. During the marriage
ceremony, this plaque is filled with white corn meal. It is then carried
in the wedding procession as a symbol of the plentiful food with which the
new couple will begin their married life. The basket is then kept
in the couple's home until their deaths when it again assumes a ceremonial
role.
In a figurative sense, the plaque safely bears the departed soul from the
edge of the afterworld (the Grand Canyon), to where the soul then rests
in peace.
MEMBERS OF IACA (Indian Arts & Crafts Association)
