Apache Pitch-Covered Woven Tus Water Jug with Fiber Handles

Native American, Southwestern United States, Apache. An Apache basketry water jug, or tus, has a woven body coated with pine pitch to make it watertight. The jug rises from a narrow base to a broad, high-shouldered body and a slender neck. Two loops of twisted fiber cord are attached at the shoulder, likely to hold a carrying strap. The surface is rust red and deep brown, and the weave remains visible beneath the pitch. A thin yellow and green band encircles the shoulder. Jugs of this type served as canteens and were carried on foot and on horseback. Among the Apache, making water jugs was traditionally women's work. They built the basket first, often twining it from split sumac or similar shrub fibers, then waterproofed it with melted piñon pitch spread over the surface. Makers sometimes rubbed the weave with red earth or crushed plant material before pitching, which partly explains the warm reddish tones often seen on these vessels. A finished tus was light, did not break if dropped, and kept water cool through slight evaporation, which made it much better suited to a mobile life than pottery. The shoulder loops were made to hold a cord or tumpline. This let the jug be carried on the back or hung from a saddle, and the narrow neck could be closed with a plug of grass, bark, or corncob. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 206137

Estimate:$250

View all items fromArtemis Fine ArtsorEthnographic