Overview

This stunning exploration of Seri (Comcaac) basket weaving reveals the resilience and creativity of the weavers as seen through the lens of documentary photographer David Burckhalter, who has spent five decades cultivating friendships and documenting Seri traditions, landscapes, and basketry in Sonora, Mexico. Blending striking photography with reflections from years as a trader and observer of Seri culture, Burckhalter traces the evolution of Seri basketry from a utilitarian craft to a celebrated art form. The book examines how Seri weavers have navigated the influences of the craft economy, outside forces like anthropologists, and changing traditions, while preserving their unique oral history and spiritual connections. With detailed insights into the artistry, labor, and legends surrounding Seri baskets, this work is a tribute to the resilience and creativity of Seri women, whose weaving continues to be passed on to future generations. Featuring more than two hundred color photographs and historic images, Baskets from the Seri Coast: Comcaac Weavers and Their Craft offers readers a visual feast that celebrates the intricate craftsmanship and cultural significance of a timeless art and the people who make it.

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9780816556373

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Reviews

“An authoritative, intimate account of baskets woven by the region’s most original and intriguing people. Burckhalter’s five decades of friendship with Seris and descriptions of weavers and their art shine through his narrative and exquisite photographs. This volume is the definitive study of Seri baskets and their makers.”—David Yetman, producer of In the Americas with David Yetman “David Burckhalter’s history of Seri basketry is a visual treat, highlighting selections of the spectacular photographs he has taken that document his decades of involvement in the Comcaac craft trade. His deeply personal account, presented along with a summary of the history of Comcaac basketry and its accompanying scholarship, has yielded a book that introduces readers to expert basket weavers who create useful, culturally significant, and at times startlingly beautiful basketry out of the sparse plant resources of their coastal Sonoran Desert homes.”—Diane Dittemore, author of Woven from the Center “Burckhalter’s unquestionable admiration for Comcaac cultural resilience and their mastery of coiled basketry shines through. His beautiful photographs celebrate and amplify the considerable technical skill and aesthetic majesty of Comcaac basketry in a way that demands we all recognize Comcaac weavers as the innovative carriers of the venerable craft tradition that they are.”—Edward A. Jolie, Arizona State Museum ethnologist

“An authoritative, intimate account of baskets woven by the region’s most original and intriguing people. Burckhalter’s five decades of friendship with Seris and descriptions of weavers and their art shine through his narrative and exquisite photographs. This volume is the definitive study of Seri baskets and their makers.”—David Yetman, producer of In the Americas with David Yetman “David Burckhalter’s history of Seri basketry is a visual treat, highlighting selections of the spectacular photographs he has taken that document his decades of involvement in the Comcaac craft trade. His deeply personal account, presented along with a summary of the history of Comcaac basketry and its accompanying scholarship, has yielded a book that introduces readers to expert basket weavers who create useful, culturally significant, and at times startlingly beautiful basketry out of the sparse plant resources of their coastal Sonoran Desert homes.”—Diane Dittemore, author of Woven from the Center “Burckhalter’s unquestionable admiration for Comcaac cultural resilience and their mastery of coiled basketry shines through. His beautiful photographs celebrate and amplify the considerable technical skill and aesthetic majesty of Comcaac basketry in a way that demands we all recognize Comcaac weavers as the innovative carriers of the venerable craft tradition that they are.”—Edward A. Jolie, Arizona State Museum ethnologist

Author Information

David Burckhalter is a photographer and research associate at the Southwest Center of the University of Arizona. The Tucson-based photographer is the author of Baja California Missions: In the Footsteps of the Padres and The Seris, also University of Arizona Press books.

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