Nevada’s Million Dollar Baskets: Dat So La Lee’s Washoe Indian Degikups

Woven willow baskets by Washoe Tribal member, Dat So La Lee, have been considered works of fine art by collectors from the early 1900s to the present day.  Within a 10-year period, her Arts and Crafts baskets evolved from modest “curios” to creative art works with a national following.  The Nevada State Museum and Nevada Historical Society are fortunate in curating nearly 20 of her masterworks.  

Gene Hattori is Curator of Anthropology at the Nevada State Museum.  He is a native Nevadan with life-long interests in Western historic and prehistoric archaeology.  Gene went to Sparks schools K-12, received a B.S. in zoology at UNR and his Ph.D. in anthropology from Washington State University.  He held numerous positions in archaeology with work experience throughout the West.  Gene has been with the Nevada State Museum since 1999 and was lead co-curator for the museum’s Under One Sky: Nevada’s Native Americans and Finding Fremont: Pathfinder in the West exhibits.