Traditional Roles

In indigenous societies, both men and women are highly regarded for each part they played in the community. If we separate the two pieces, you can see just how the roles are individually represented. The women were gatherers (the basket) while the men typically hunted wild game (the antlers) (Onondaga Nation). With the piece apart, the antlers look out of place and the basket has a hard time standing up straight. But when they are together, they create a perfect cohesive artwork. By both men and women working together, the community will flourish. The piece was created by a husband/wife pair, just another representation of how one needs the other to be complete.