Mabel McKay
MABEL BOONE McKAY, Pomo 1907-1993
"Mabel McKay was born January 12, 1907 near Nice, Lake County, California, to a Long Valley Cache Creek Pomo mother and a Potter Valley Pomo father. She grew up in Rumsey, where her mother moved after remarrying. Raised among the Wintun by her mother's mother, Sarah Taylor, a sister to Richard Taylor, the first Bole Maru doctor, Mabel then married a Wintun, Charles McKay, and with him adopted a son, Marshall.
"Mabel served her community for many years as a member of California's Native American Heritage Commission. She lectured at universities and served as a cultural consultant for anthropologists and others. As an Indian doctor, Mabel healed many lives. As a basket maker and friend, she brought joy to countless more. Mabel devoted herself to the continuation of Pomoan basketry. Her skill and scrupulous attention to every stitch brought worldwide recognition to her basketry, and her baskets found their way into many museum collections, including those abroad."
(Excerpted from Bev Ortiz' tribute to Mabel McKay, News from Native California, Summer 1993.)
Mabel McKay demonstrated weaving and conducted weaving classes on numerous occasions at Pacific Western Traders in Folsom, CA, from October 1971, until December 1988. Mabel McKay's life and career is chronicled in books and in a video series shown on Public Television.
These baskets represent a portion of Mabel's work as well as that by close weaver relatives.
Showing 1 to 5 of 5 Items
A Pomo Feather Prayer Basket: Quail Maiden (1971)
Item#: M-2
This three-rod coiled basket is constructed of gray willow and sedge root, woven with feathers of quail, mallard duck, and ring neck pheasant. Decorated with abalone pendants, clam-shell disk beads, and quail topknots. Mabel is holding this basket in the oil painting of her by S. Billington.
By Mabel McKay
Height: 3 1/4in x Diameter: 6 3/4in
Category:
Indian Baskets - Mabel McKay
Feathered Pomo Basket: Canoe (1970)
Item#: M-3
This three-rod coiled basket is constructed of gray willow and sedge root, woven with feathers of robin and meadowlark. Decorated with clam-shell disk beads, abalone pendants, and quail topknots.
By Mabel McKay
Height: 2in x Length: 6in x Width: 4in
Category:
Indian Baskets - Mabel McKay
A Pomo Gift Basket: Canoe (1959)
Item#: M-6
This coil sewn single-rod basket is constructed of gray willow, sedge root and bulrush root. It is decorated with abalone pendants and glass seed beads, with a butterfly design.
By Mabel McKay
Height: 1 1/2in x Length: 4 3/4in x Width: 3 1/4in
Category:
Indian Baskets - Mabel McKay
Beaded Pomo Gift Basket: Heat Waves (1972-1975)
Item#: M-1
This basket was commenced during 1972 and completed in December 1975. It is constructed of gray willow coil sewn with sedge root in single-rod technique. The design of blue and white glass seed beads represents heat waves rising. An excess of 6,000 beads have been sewn in during the weaving process to create the design, each bead tied into a separate stitch. The rim is fringed with loops of matching blue and white beads.
By Mabel McKay.
Height: 3 3/4in x Diameter: 8 1/4in
Category:
Indian Baskets - Mabel McKay
Beaded Pomo Gift Basket: Lupine (1982)
Item#: M-5
This coiled single-rod basket is constructed of gray willow and sedge root. Glass, orange, and rose "whiteheart" beads have been sewn in during the weaving process to create the "Lupine" design, and each bead is tied into a separate stitch.
By Mabel McKay
Height: 2in x Diameter: 3 1/2in
Category:
Indian Baskets - Mabel McKay
Showing 1 to 5 of 5 Items