Artwork copyright Mary Ann Wapato. Photo courtesy of the artist, 1985: composite image showing both sides.

Artwork copyright Mary Ann Wapato. Photo courtesy of the artist, 1985.

Artwork copyright Mary Ann Wapato. Photo courtesy of the artist, 1985.

Cornhusk Bag, 1930

Mary Ann Wapato
(American | Wenatchi Band, born 1870, died 1963)

Location: Washington State Arts Commission, Olympia

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Cornhusk Bag is part of a series of unique hand-woven bags created by Wenatchi Native American artist Mary Ann Wapato. It was made around the year 1930 in Lake Chelan, Central Washington, from cornhusk, milkweed, and cotton twine. Cornhusk bags were traditionally used for carrying and storing food and personal belongings. In ritual ceremonies, the bags were often traded or sold to neighboring tribes and used in marriage ceremonies.

Cornhusk bags were made by Native American women from the Plateau tribes such as the Nez Perce, Yakama, Klickitat, Wishram, and Spokane in the Plateau region of the Pacific Northwest. These tribes were semi-nomadic, moving from place to place, harvesting each food type seasonally.

The bags are flat, strong, and flexible, woven by a complex three-ply twining technique which involved holding one strand in the teeth while bringing the other two forward and around it. They were perfect for gathering and storing plant roots, once the staple food of the Plateau Indian diet. The earliest bags were very large and made from Indian hemp and bear grass or cornhusk, and contained a drawstring closure to hold their contents.

By the early twentieth century, these large root storage bags were no longer needed. Plateau women adapted their art form by making smaller bags with flaps and handles which were similar to a woman's handbag. Early cornhusk designs included simple, geometric patterns; later there were more complex designs depicting people, nature, and animals. Traditionally, the two sides of the bag were woven with different designs.

This and numerous other bags made by Mary Ann Wapato were never used and were kept by the artist's daughter and granddaughter for future generations to appreciate. Wapato was a member of the Wenatchi band of the Colville tribe. Little is known about her life. This bag was preserved by and acquired from the artist's granddaughter, Cecelia Sherman.

This artwork is part of Beyond Blue Mountains, a collection that was curated by late Tlingit (Native Alaskan) artist Jim Schoppert. It presents the work of Native American artists of diverse heritage, ideas, materials, and styles. The collection takes an in-depth look at the artists’ unique voices and interpretations of tradition.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Department of Corrections.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Native American artist Mary Ann Wapato (1870-1963) is of Wenatchi heritage (Central Washington).
If you can add to this information, please contact us at collections@arts.wa.gov.