Native Alaskan Basket and the Swastika

               The object we’re going to focus on now has an interesting history with a lot of mixed reviews. The basket, pictured to the right, is woven out of grass which is really impressive in itself. The fact that it was woven in the 1920’s and is still in such great shape is even more impressive. This basket in particular is from a Native Alaskan tribe but exploring further, one could find many similar creations from Native tribes all the way to the Southwestern U.S. 

               Putting the craftsmanship aside, let’s look at the symbol that is on the basket. It’s one that we all most likely recognize, the swastika. This symbol has taken on different meanings for millennia but today, really just one sticks out. The swastika was used by Adolf Hitler in the 1930’s and 40’s as a symbol of the Nazi Party’s dominance and now it is linked to the atrocities that group committed. There is much more to the history of the swastika symbol, however.

               It’s probable that many of you have learned what the symbol originally meant and perhaps even to whom. The swastika, meaning “good fortune” or “well-being,” symbolizes these ideas and, for many people, invokes very positive emotions and reactions. The symbol is also very old! It has been found in remains from the Bronze Age in parts of Europe, as well as ancient Persian and Indian sites. The swastika is also used in Jain and Buddhist traditions, two religions originating in East Asia. It even enjoyed a spike in popularity in the late 19^th and early 20^th century in most western countries, U.S. included. Pictured to the right is a Coca-Cola watch fob designed like the swastika. The symbol was very much normalized and still a very positive image up until it was co-opted by the Nazi Party.

               In the late 19^th century, a German archaeologists names Heinrich Schliemann found many artifacts in what is today Western Turkey that had the swastika symbol on them. He made the connection between those artifacts and similar ones with the swastika found in German pottery and proclaimed the significance of the symbol to the Germans’ Aryan ancestors. It’s important to note that the connection was helped along by German historians who were translating old Indian Sanskrit and noticed similarities between that language and German. They concluded that Germans and Indians must have a common ancestry and imagined a race of white god-like warriors that they called Aryans.

               In the 1930’s Adolf Hitler co-opted the swastika, called the Hakenkreuz, which most of us are more familiar with today as the black swastika in a white circle with a red background. The connection between the swastika and the evil committed by the Nazis was forever sealed in contemporary and material culture after that. 

               Despite the unfortunate reputation the symbol has gained since World War II, it can still be found in modern contexts, conveying the positive meaning of well-being. Jains and Buddhists still interact with the symbol on holy sites and within various traditions. The symbol is also still used in a popular design known as the Greek Key pattern (seen below). That pattern can be found on many tiles, decorative arts and textiles. 

               As I’m sure we all have experienced at some point, symbols can have significant impacts on our lives and the way we view groups and historical events. They pervade every area of life: advertisements and business logos that make us want to buy their products, the elephant and the donkey of the major political parties that annoy us, traffic signs along the road that keep us safe, and so many more. And it’s by using these symbols as a lens that we can understand societies from thousands of years ago and that future generations will understand us. Also, who knows what common symbols that we see today will change with time? What will the $ symbol mean one thousand years from now. Or, what about the American flag? For religions, it is probably really hard to imagine symbols like the crucifix or the Star of David changing significantly, but I bet that’s how people felt about the swastika. That being said, even today, those symbols mean different things and cause different emotions for different people.

 

There is always something more to the objects, words, and symbols that humans have interacted with for thousands of years. In the Farm House Museum, we love talking about these things and of course, telling stories too. The next time you want to stop in for 5 minutes or 50, feel free. We’d love to have you!

The Farm House Museum is open Monday – Friday, 12 to 4 p.m.