Shellmound Memorial -- Sculpture

The metal sculpture found here shows a rendition of a typical Ohlone basket used to store food. Baskets were traditionally made with tule reeds, willow sticks, sedge roots, feathers and shell beads.The Ohlone tradition of burning all of one's possessions at death, along with the destruction of the Ohlone's lives by Spanish colonizers and missionaries sadly leaves us with few examples of these baskets. Present-day Ohlone are reviving the traditional art form.