"Gary O'Brien"
Bushwhacker Basket
14" x 13.5"
I have had this Bushwhacker or Taghkanic basket since I first started weaving, but it wasn't until the publication of Martha Wetherbee and Nathan Taylor's book "Legend of the Bushwhacker Basket" that I knew what it was. The Bushwhackers were native to a small area of New York state and their baskets were often confused with Shaker work. Their work is distinctive though and includes details not found in other baskets. An example of one of these is the notch in the swing handle shown in the detail photo.
" In 1854 he began weaving baskets"