In the great majority of baskets the surface is divided into three
parallel zones or decorative bands. These are produced by making a
slight variation in the weave, by the use of blackened strips of bamboo
and rattan, or by substituting in their place the black cuticle of a
fern.
As a rule the women of this tribe are not good potters and take little
pride in their work. In some districts the art has been entirely lost,
and the people depend on the coast natives for their cooking utensils.
At the village of Bansalan the women were found still to be proficient
in their work. After the dampened clay had been carefully kneaded in
order to remove lumps and gravel, the bottom of the jar was moulded with
the fingers and placed on a dish which was turned on a bit of cloth or a
board and answered the purpose of a potter's wheel. As the dish was
turned with the right hand the operator shaped the clay with the fingers
of the left adding fresh strips of material from time to time until the
desired size was obtained. The final shaping was done with a wooden
paddle and the jar was allowed to dry, after which it was smoothed off
with a stone. When ready for firing it was placed in the midst of a pile
of rubbish, over which green leaves were placed to cause a slow fire.
Other dishes are made by splitting a cocoanut in half and removing the
"meat." This is readily accomplished by the use of a scraper fitted with
a rough iron blade (Fig. 25), over which the concave side or the half
nut is drawn. The cocoanut meat is used for food and oil.