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History of the Nantucket Basket
| The basket known as the Nantucket
basket is the result of a long history of basket making
on the island off the coast of Massachusetts. The
Nantucketers learned to make baskets from the Indians.
Indian baskets were for the most part fragile; used for
berry picking and lightweight activities. These baskets
had bottoms woben into a spider web effect and were made
of thin strips of ash, hickory and oak. They were
actually woven with long strips of wood pounded thin.
Farming needs required baskets for heavier duties. They
began to use a wooden bottom for the basket. Wooden ribs
were nailed to the piece of wood. The nails would act as
an abrasive and over the years this would weaken the wood.
To solve this problem the wooden bottom was grooved. The
ribs of the basket were pounded into the groove for the
most secure fit. The ribs were bent in shape by pouring
boiling water over them and tying them into an upward
position. The whaling industry sent Nantucketers traveling to the Phillipines, China and India. There they were introduced to rattan or cane. It is very probable that they saw baskets being woven using cane. They brought it home for Nantucket basket makers to use. Another distinctive process in the making of the Nantucket basket was the use of molds on which to weave the basket. This allowed the basket to remain steady and produced accuracy in sizes so nests of baskets could be made. Molds were usually made from wood and sometimes ship masts. Later, round molds were turned on a lathe for increased accuracy. It is widely accepted that if it is not made on a mold, it is not a Nantucket basket. The baskets are also the product of an isolated community where everyone saw what others did. Each basket maker, striving to make a better basket, added to the perfection, preciseness and quality manifested today. The original baskets were called "farm baskets" and with the introduction of rattan as the weaver, "rattan baskets." In 1856, the No. 1 Nantucket Lightship was anchored 24 miles south of Sankaty Light. According to Nantucket history, the men who manned the ship had little to do but clean the lamps and stand watch. These men made some of the best baskets ever seen and sold them through the shops on the island. This period produced the name "Nantucket Lightship Basket." The last Nantucketer to work on the lightship was Charlie Sylvia in the year 1905. Although basket making aboard ship had ceased, the name of the baskets remained. In 1945, Jose Formosa Reyes came to Nantucket from the Phillipines. By 1948, he was making baskets. It was his idea to use a woven lid attached to the basket with leather in the back and leather front closures to form the handbag. This was the beginning of the bag as it appears today. Instead of oak, hickory or ash ribs, Reyes used wider rattan in his baskets. Other basketmakers began to make the handbag but continued to use wooden ribs. Today on Nantucket, some basket makers use wood and some rattan ribs, but all weave with rattan weavers. The handbag of today is much better described as exquisite rather than crude. Some baskets are made with 1/8 inch wooden ribs and the finest rattan weavers to achieve the best detail. Most baskets are adorned with some type of ivory decoration such as carved whale, seagull or seashell. Many have solid ivory tops with scrimshawed scenes. The Nantucket Lightship basket is not simply a basket or handbag. It is an emblem that says "Nantucket." It is a useable collector's item that increases in value as it takes on a golden-mahogany hue that comes with age. It is the only handbag a woman can own and use for 10 or 20 years that actually increases in value. It is a family heirloom and a piece of American craftsmanship that can be passed down from generation to generation. As Mitchie Ray's (an early basket maker) label used to read: "I was made on Nantucket, I'm strong and I'm stout, Don't lose me or burn me, And I'll never wear out." |
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