The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-12-23
BASKETRY.
The Art Of Making Baskets by Indian
T'rthes.

Intervening twigs, reeds, and leaves is
practiccd among the rudcst nations of
the world; and it is one of the most
universal of ar.s, 80 also does it rank
among the most ancient industries, be.
ing probably the origin of all the textile
arts of the world, for basket-work is
literally a web of the coarsest materials"
The article then summarizes the practice
of the art in classic antiquity. and speaks
of houses, boats, shields, window-screens.
fuiniturc, carriage bodies, and other ex-
traordinary articles as made of basket
work in ancient or modern times, the
materials for which %(osiers, etc.,, form
an important element in the agriculture
of many countries.
There remains unnoticed, however, a
large department Of basket making lore
in the work Of barbarous peoples, to
whom this art serves manifold purposes,
and has sometimes reached great perfec-
ton, as can be seen by an examination
of the very large and complete collection
of basketrY brought together in the
National museum ct Washington.
A study of this series of specimens
shows that some of the best makers are
to be found among orr North American
Indians, the most skillful of whom are
those dwelling On the northwestern
coast.
The Makahs, for example, who live on
Cape Flattery, at the entrance to the
Strait of Fuca, turn out . wide variety,
adapted to many purposes. The largest,
which will hold a bushel or so, are made
of spruce roots, or of cedar twigs, wove
quite loosely, and much larger at the top
than at the wedge.like botl om-a form
assumed in order to facilitate carrying in
them a load held well up on the shout
Aers by a strap passing across the fore.
head. Small baskets are made of bark
and grass, dyed with native vegetable
extracts, or, more lately, with glazing
aniline colors, which never equal the
artistic excellence Of the older work.
Into some are woven designs intended to
represent birds or animals; into others,
simple checks. Small ones are made OF
bark. and of a species Of eel-grnss that
b!eaches brightly white. The making
of mats OF rushcs and shredded q
bark (ont of which, also, are knit hand
some water proof cloaks, nov growing
very rare and costly forms a large part
of the winter work of the s9uaws. The
Queer conical hats of the women,
upon which they gaudily paint their
family to.cms, arc made of spruce
roots split into fine ibres,
and 40 nlaited o. TO be impervious to
the ram. None are twilled. Within a
few years these Indians have found it
profitable to cover with ba~sket-work
bottles and TASKS for the toilct-table or
the pocket, finding good sale for then
at Victoria and the other tourist visited
towns of that region. Fancy boxes, cir
cular, square and oddly shaped, are also
made for sale, and are extremely pretty
and durable.
The native races of Oregon and Cali
fornia appear to have been almost equal
lv expert basket-makcrs, though their
productions are decidedly unlike those
of the British Columbian and Alaskan
people just noticed.
From willow twigs and pine roots
thoy weave large round mats for holding
acorn flour: various. sized, t'attish,
squash shaped baskets, water. tight: deep
conical ones to be carried on their
backs; and others to be uFea az pleasure
as Advantageous or skull caps by the
sQuaws, the men going bareheaded.
The Yurok of Northern California; are
among the cleverest workmen. They
ornament their Easkels with some in
genuity by weaving in black rootlets or
bark in squares, diamonds and zigzag
lines, but they never attempt the curve,
which, it has been said, marks the tran
sition from barbaric to civilized art. lin
carrying her baby" writes Stephen
Powers, cor a qantity of acorns, the
souaw fills the deep conical
basket, and suspends it on
her back by a strap which passes
loosely round it and athwart her fore
head. She leans forward, and so
relieves her neck"
The baby, whenever carried, is loose
in the basket and liable to fall out. This
carelessness among the coast tribes Is
greatly in contrast with the sentiment
Of the Modoc women around klamath
Lake, who, with conspicuous pains
taking, weave a very pretty trough
shaped baby basket Of fine willows, in
tended to be set up against the wall or
to be carried on the back. The infant
is lashcd pcrpendlcula:ly in it, and his
head covered by the concave upper end
Of the basket, which overhangs like a
small p%arasol, and in some cases is gayly
decorated. "Let a mother blacken her
whole face below the eyes, including
her nose, shining black, thrust a goose
quill three inches long through the
septum of her nose, don her close-ft'ing
skull. cap, and start to town with her
baby basket dashed to her blck, and she
feels the pride of maternity strong
within her. The little fellow is wrap
ned all around like a mummy, with
nothing visible but his head, ana m
times that is bandaged back tight, so
that he may sleep standing"
The Pah-Utes af the Utah and Nevada
dry lands likewise make great use OF
basketry. Major Powell describes, in
his animated way, the service OF the
conical baskets to be seen in the collec-
ton from that locality: 1.-The women
carry them on their backs, suspended
from their forcheads by broad straps,
and with a smaller one in the left hand
and a willow woven fan in the right.
thew walk among the grasses and
sweep the seed into the smaller basket,
which IS emitted now and then into the
larger. until it is full Of seeds and chatt;
then they winnow ont the chaff and roast
4ho Goods Thav roast these curiOuSlV;