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• Yokuts artist
• California
• About 1900
• Plant fiber and quail feathers
• Native Arts acquisition funds, 1938.993

The Yokuts produced bottleneck baskets like this one. The upper shoulder areas of these baskets are adorned with quail feathers, a distinctive characteristic of Yokuts basketry. These baskets were used to store valuable items such as shell money or for rattlesnake ceremonies. The rattlesnake ceremony was performed by ritual healers to protect against rattlesnake bites. In preparation for this ceremony, healers coaxed rattlesnakes out of their dens and placed them in these baskets with eagle down (soft feathers).