Cases No. 1, 7, 8, 11 and Overhead—_Various Tribes_.
This type of basket was used by the _Paiutes_ of Nevada and the
_Gabrielenos_ and _Maidus_ of California for carrying acorns; by the
_Quileutes_ of Washington for carrying salmon; by the _Hopis_ of Arizona
for carrying peaches and corn, and by the _Zunis_ of New Mexico for
carrying peaches.
(See Plates 14c & 14d)
Case No. 1. Examples of burden baskets used by the _Cherokees_ of the
Smokey Mountains of North Carolina.
Case No. 7 and 8: Examples of baskets used by the _Karocs_ of
California, showing the “Tump-line” basket with head band
attached.
(See Plate 13c)
Case No. 11: Shows a harvest basket of the _Cahuilla_ of California,
used in carrying grains.
(See Plate 9a)
CARRYING
_Cahuilla_ or _Mission_—California
Case No. 13:
This basket was used to carry grasshoppers to the brush and grass
_Wickiup_ where they were roasted on a long stick over a flame in
preparation for eating.
There is nothing too unusual about mankind eating insects: The _Holy
Bible_ tells of the children of Israel—forty years in the wilderness—in
the land of Canaan, eating locusts, as did John The Baptist while
preaching in the wilderness. Today specialty stores retail grasshoppers,
fried worms, bees and ants—many of which are chocolate coated!
(See Plate 14a)
GRASSHOPPER STEWING
_Paiute_—Nevada
Case No. 13:
This basket was made for cooking grasshoppers. After the grasshoppers
were placed in the basket the top was tied with a buckskin thong and
submerged in boiling water. The basket was removed from the water when
the grasshoppers were sufficiently cooked and ready to be eaten.
(See Plate 10c)
WATER TIGHT
c. 1875
_Thlinkit_—Alaska
Case No. 5:
This water-tight boiling basket is made of spruce roots which have been
finely split by hand. It is woven as tightly as commercially woven
canvas water bags. These baskets are no longer made for cooking because
metal containers are readily available.
The design motif of this unusually fine specimen is constructed of
mountain grass, commonly called Squaw Grass. The grass is soaked in bog
mud all winter, giving it the black color. The copper color is obtained
by boiling the grass with copper ore, and the white is the same grass,
sun bleached.
(See Plate 9c)
CARRYING BASKET
c. 1890
_Papago_—Arizona
Case No. 4:
This carrying, or burden, basket, referred to by _Papagos_ as _Kiaha_,
is made of stems from the Cereus Giganteus Cactus and the twine from
leaves of the Maguey plant. The Maguey plant played a major role in
_Papago_ life due to the fact that food, rope, twine, varnish, needles,
and liquor were obtained from it.
The _Papagos_ taught the Spaniards to make liquors from the juice of the
Maguey plant more than four hundred years ago. The liquor is still made
today in Mexico.
In 1540, the Spaniards, led by Coronado, arrived in the Southwest and
found this basket being used in daily life. Such items as Mesquite
beans, cactus, wood, water jars and corn were carried in this basket,
which is equipped with a head band and rests on the shoulders. After the
Spaniards introduced horses and horses became plentiful, the men ceased
to have need for (or to make) this basket.
It is interesting to note that the weaving technique of this (one of the
few baskets made by men) may be called the American counterpart of
_Belgian Point Lace_.
(See Plate 13d)
ROASTING TRAYS
c. 1890
_Yurok_—California
_Modoc_—Oregon
Case No. 12:
These three trays are used for roasting shelled nuts such as hazel nuts
and pinon nuts. The nuts are placed on the tray along with red-hot wood
coals. A revolving motion is applied to the tray and the coals are
rolled so deftly that they do not burn the tray.
(See Plate 9d)
CORN HUSK (or “Sally”) BAGS
c. 1850
_Umatilla_—Oregon
Case No. 10:
This specimen was made of a hemp foundation and false embroidery of
twisted corn husks. Vegetable dyes were used.
The name “Sally Bag” goes back to an older use of the term sally,
meaning “to go forth,” “to sally forth,” i.e. to travel.
The bags were used as travel bags and were tied to the back of the
cantle of the saddle. They were known to have been in use at the time of
the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1805.
(See Plate 15a)
EFFIGY—TRINKETS
_Alibamu_ of Texas, formerly of Alabama
_Papago_ of Arizona
Case Nos. 2 and 13:
These baskets are unique works of art. Each shows considerable
creativity. The _Alibamu_ turkey basket made of pine cones and the
_Papago_ owl made of Yucca plant are used as trinket baskets. In more
recent years, additional types have been made in the form of birds,
frogs, turtles, alligators, armadillos, etc. These baskets have proven
quite popular and have therefore become an asset to the economy of the
craftsman.
(See Plates 5c & 5d)
IMBRICATED WEAVE
_Yakima_—Toppenish, Washington
Case No. 11:
The Latin word _Imbrex_ means tile; imbricated means overlapping like
tiles or a decoration resembling tiles. This basket is an excellent
example of the imbricated weave.
This basket was formerly used for cooking and is now used in berry
picking. There are four different materials used in the construction:
the foundation is coiled, split cedar roots; the white color is bleached
mountain grass; the dark red is cherry tree bark; the brown is cedar
bark.
(See Plate 5a)
BIRCHBARK
Various Tribes
Case No. 8:
Many items are made from birch-bark by the Indians in areas where the
birch tree grows in abundance. Like many other cultures, the Indian used
objects for daily use which required the least effort to make.
Birch-bark lends itself readily to easy construction.
Shown here are many forms of birch-bark construction: boxes, buckets,
creels, trays, etc.
Plate 3d: _Algonquin_ fishing creel
Plate 7c: _Algonquin_ canoe box
Plate 7d: _Chippewa_ storage box
Plate 8c: _Chippewa_ wild rice gathering tray
SQUASH BLOSSOM
_Pima_—Arizona
Case No. 7:
The decorative motif of these baskets is actually thought of by the
_Pima_ weaver as a “progressive design,” rather than that of a squash
blossom. The design is executed in sequences of three to twelve petals,
one of a sequence to each basket. Only two complete sets (ten baskets to
a set) are known to exist. They are no longer made.
These baskets were used for such things as winnowing grain and gathering
fruit and vegetables.
(See Plate 9b)
PORCUPINE QUILL DECORATION
c. 1903
_Chippewa_—Minnesota
Case No. 2:
One of the finest examples of the Indian woman’s native creative arts is
found in porcupine quill decoration. The artist formerly prepared her
own dyes from berries, roots, barks, etc. Today, aniline dyes are used
almost exclusively. Steps used in the preparation of quills for bark
decoration are as follows:
The artist usually divides the quills into four lengths and stores
them in separate containers because they differ in length and
thickness (one to four inches long and 1/16 to 3/32 inches thick). The
quills are washed well in soap root before being dyed, and stored.
When she is ready to use the quills she softens them in her mouth. The
warmth and moisture are most effective and it is thought that the
saliva contains some special property that makes them more pliable.
She generally keeps a number of the quills of the same size and color
in one cheek with the points protruding from her lips, pulling out a
quill as it is needed. Small holes are punched in the bark with an awl
and the quill is inserted in these holes. The ends are bent over on
the back side of the bark to hold them in place. By using quills of
the desired length to fit the decoration, it is not necessary to cut
them. The quill swells and stiffens as it dries, making it even more
secure.
In most boxes, so decorated, a plain undecorated piece of bark is fitted
on the inside (or back side) to hide the raw ends of the quills. Three
to four thousand quills are required to cover a box the size of the one
shown in Plate 1a. Vegetable dyes were used on the quills of this box
and have not faded in more than fifty years.
(See Plate 1a)