The de Saisset Museum houses an important collection of objects made or used by Native Californians. Some items speak to life before European contact and date from the time prior to the Spanish arrival in California; other objects date to the Mission Period; while still others were made as late as the 19th century.
The collection includes a variety of hand-woven baskets, each demonstrating the artistry and functionality inherent in Native basketry. It also includes hunting implements, charm stones, tools for fishing, and other items that speak to life before the arrival of the missions and touch upon the changes that Native people would have endured as the European way of life was introduced.
Infant Carrier, n.d., Eastern Sierra, willow, leather, and cotton textile, de Saisset Museum permanent collection, A.O.52. Eel Basket and Fish Trap, n.d., willow, Gift of Austen D. Warburton, I.112.
Unfinished Basket Hat, late 19th century, Yurok or Hupa, grass fibers, brachen fern, and willow cane, de Saisset Museum permanent collection, I.36.
Hupa Bow, n.d. redwood, deer hide and sinew, dry pigment, de Saisset Museum permanent collection, A.O.128.