Chumash Polychrome Winnowing Tray

Private Collection, Lompoc, California

Ron Normandeau, Laguna Beach, California, acquired from the above

American Private Collection, acquired from the above on December 1, 2010

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, long-term loan, October 2013 - July 2016

Ralph Shanks and Lisa Woo Shanks, California Indian Baskets: San Diego to Santa Barbara and Beyond to the San Joaquin Valley, Mountains and Deserts, Novato, 2010, p. 17 and front cover

According to Shanks, “Trays for winnowing and/or parching were low, often nearly flat broad bowls with gently sloped edges. Some Chumash trays were magnificent, with complex designs and very fine stitching.” (Ralph Shanks and Lisa Woo Shanks, California Indian Baskets: San Diego to Santa Barbara and Beyond to the San Joaquin Valley, Mountains and Deserts, Novato, 2010, p. 23). Illustrated on the cover of the 2010 publication California Indian Baskets, the present tray is an especially vibrant and elaborate example of Chumash design, in three colors with sharply delineated geometry and tidy rim ticking. Shanks continues: “These round trays were used to sift acorn flour, winnow manzanita berries, and process other foods. By holding the tray in one hand while gently tapping with the other, the finer acorn flour could be separated from the coarser flour. The larger particles accumulated at the edge of the tray. By gently tapping the basket, large particles would fall back into the mortar for further pounding.” (ibid.).