Artifact of the Month: Timbisha Shoshone (Panamint) Basket

Federally recognized as the Timbisha Shoshone Band of California, and sometimes referred to as “Panamint”, the Nümü Tümpisatti’s traditional homelands located in the Death Valley, Saline Valley, and the Panamint Range are some of the most challenging environments on earth. The harsh desert landscape has shaped traditional material culture, such as this coiled basket.

Nümü Tümpisatti basket makers use some of the same materials found in Northern California baskets, such as willow, but they also incorporate regionally specific vegetation, such as Joshua Tree roots used to create distinctive red designs like on this example. The black may be native bulrush or from Devil’s Claw, which is traded in from outside the region.

In the early 20th century, the railroad opened up Death Valley to tourists and “Panamint” baskets became popular with collectors. We believe this basket is from the early to mid-20th century. It is one of a large collection of Native American baskets donated to Turtle Bay in 2019. Pop in during the month of January to learn more about this basket at our Artifact of the Month Exhibit and make sure to come back this summer when the entire donation will be on exhibition.

The Timbisha Shoshone (Panamint) Basket is a gift of Jack and Kathy Hauenstein and our Artifact of the Month Exhibition is generously sponsored by The Robert Harris Family.