Native American BasketryFor millennia, Native Americans have created baskets using techniques passed down from generation to generation. While we may think of baskets as decorative in today’s context, they were an item of necessity in a time before plastic storage containers, metal pots and nylon backpacks. The variety of shapes and sizes addressed the need for storing, carrying, serving, drinking and protecting food items, liquids and personal objects – and attested to the importance of the basket in traditional Native American cultures.