This picture came from the National Bank of Alaska Heritage Museum.
by Felicia Ann, Grade 6
Hi, my name is Felicia. I am going to tell you about Inupiaq Baskets. I learned a lot of stuff about the Inupiaq Baskets. They are made out of baleen which is cut into strips that can be woven into a basket. Some of the baskets have a little decoration on the top which is shaped into an animal made out of Ivory.
About Baleen:
Baleen is a certain material used to make baskets. Baleen comes from the Bowhead Whale. It is the part of their mouth that filters their food for them. The Inupiaq people usually started out with a piece of baleen. They cut it into strips that could be woven into a basket. After that they carved a shape out of ivory to put on the top of their basket.
This picture came from the National Bank of Alaska Heritage Museum.
Above is a strip of baleen ready to be cut into weaving strands.
This picture came from the National Bank of Alaska Heritage Museum.
Above is a baleen basket made with white bird gill decorations.The basket was woven in closed stitch coiling,covering the rods.
This picture came from the National Bank of Alaska Heritage Museum.
Baleen Baskets are made with white bird gill decorations. The baskets are also made with baleen wraps.It is a baleen basket made with light baleen wraps.
This picture came from the National Bank of Alaska Heritage Museum.
This is an old baleen container made by bending a strip of baleen around a wooden base.
If you would like to see more baskets click on the Main Street Gifts Art Gallery.
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