Pima
Tray 1880–1890
willow, devil's claw
2 x 10 (diameter)
Illinois State Museum Condell Collection
808 629
The palm-sized Pima Tray displays an exceptional example of the Chinese or Greek "Fret" pattern. The creator has produced a design that meanders across the surface of the tray, enlivening it with dynamic positive and negative spatial relationships. This meandering motif appears time and again. Anthropologist Gene Weltfish has suggested we might "look to mat weaving for the original [pattern]" and compares these motifs to elemental interlaced technologies where the graphic, diagonal hatching acts as an abstract sign for woven materials. Further confirmation of the enduring nature of this pattern can be found as nearby as the monitor of your personal computer: the Windows 95 operating system includes among its selections of background screen designs a pattern entitled "key," which includes a repeating key motif.