Collecting Apache Baskets, Antique Trader

Apache Baskets: Collectors strive to preserve a 'dying art'Published online courtesy Antique Trader, September 08, 2010by Melody Amsel-Arieli Apache pictorial tray, circa 1890-1900, 14 inches in diameter.Basketry is the art of weaving pliable vegetable fibers, like bark, straw, wood, or grass, into storage vessels through a variety of techniques. Because Native American artists gather, cut, peel, then prepare their raw materials before weaving, a single basket may take up to six months to complete. Since few are willing to devote so much time to this demanding art, most Apache baskets currently on the market date from the late 1800s through...