Gambling Tray

Weaver unknown (Yokuts) Near Dunlap, California →

yokutsnative americanamericascalifornia coastbasketryart of the americas

Date

c. 1900

Medium

Plant fibers

Dimensions

5.1 × 61 cm (2 × 24 in.)

Museum

Art Institute of Chicago

Location

Chicago, IL

Credit

Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Leonard S. Florsheim, Jr.

Games of chance were played by many of California's indigenous peoples. This gambling tray would have been used for huuchuish, a game of dice played exclusively by women in which eight walnut-shell dice were thrown and sticks were used to keep score. The dice, score sticks, and participants are depicted in the circular design woven into this tray.

Also notable

Works in the same vein

Feathered Bottleneck Basket with Bands of Interlocking Diamonds

Weaver unknown (Yokuts) Central or southern California, United States

Polychrome Gambling Tray

Weaver unknown (Yokuts) Central California, United States

Yokuts Basketry Designs-A

Edward S. Curtis American, 1868–1952

Self-Portrait

Walter Shirlaw (American, 1838–1909)