This is the famous Navajo Wedding Basket. It’s symbolism as described by a Navajo medicine woman:
The center is the beginning of life, moving outward. Then the rain comes. These are black clouds. The red lines are the red and pink in the sky and clouds. The outer white part is the increase of the People. The pathway is to let the People emerge: a way out.
This three petal squash blossom design was adapted from a Basket design of a Pima basket maker. The original basket was “black and white”. In order to make the panel more colorful we decided to use colors similar to the squash blossom jewelry created by some Southwest American Indians. The necklaces, bracelets and other pieces are generally made of turquoise and silver.
