New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-25
A CALIFORNIA FAD.
COLLECTING INDIAN BASKETS.
ARTISTIC SKILL OF THE wEAvDRs AND ETHNo.
LOGIC VALUE OF THEIR wORX-AMATEURS
SOMETIMES ROBBERS.

SOMETIMES ROBBERS.
san Francisco Jan. G.-TO make a collection
Of Indian baskets that shall eclipse that OF any
else that knows IS the vercst folly, and yet that
is what the majority of tourists who come 10 southern
California for the first time always try to do. They
ransacl shops and pay fancy prices; they organize
raids on the old Mexican adObcs they wheedle the
clergy into putting them on to the scent OF par
tlcularly specimens; they pay all sorts Of prices.
varying from ~ to $500, and then for all the ex-
pendture of money, time and strength they fail TO
get the full appreciation o. the collection which can
only come from a close study OF the basket as uni
versal sand indispensable uteDsil in the domestic
economy Of the Indian Think what care must be
exercised and what correct eye for symmetry must
be cultivated by the patient Indian woman who sits
down beside a stream Of water with two or three
bundles reeds before her. the heaviest ones to form
the longitudinal ribs Of her basket, and the flne'
slender ones to be evolved into wonderful and in
tricate pattern With what nicely must she calculate.
beginning as she does at the bottom OF tile whole
thing with Just one twist OF the fine reed around the
How clearly the design must be hxed IN
her mind TO enable her to reproduce an Intricate
form of succession of forms which such precision upon
circular surface that her stitches always come Just
in the right place
The Indian woman IS not devoid Of fancy; she Is
hot the stupid dumpsh slave that one imagnes who
has never lived near an Indian camp She Is keehiy
alive ~ the varying phases of beautiful nature ana
in vague unconscious way adapts the pictures In
her mind to the practical needs of daily nfc.
Just as we, who do not understand word of Persian,
sometimes stand entrance before Persian manu-
script in a museum and its form fingers in our
minds. the Indian woman, looking upon the gaudy
sign that advertses the wares Of the shop OF tne
reservation is sometimes nightly attracted by the
form of the letters. although she does not understand
word Of English, and the next time she weaveS.
in go the letters that pleased her the most. True,
the A Is upside down. and the Is turned the wrong
way the spraws and the looks like wigwam
with very tall chimney; but the other squaws OK
the tribe gather around the designer of original
hicrogyphs I'm open mouthed envy and the first thing
one knows the camp is glutted with cabalistic
baskets that to the uninated seem the most Won
derful and mysterious products Of the human magma
ton we'll worth the time and thought of the ethnol-
ocist The distorted and grotesque do not often play
a conspicuous part in the Indian woman's fancy some
times she sees pine and is struck with the reg
ular charm Of It's hafopened. sections. When next
she sits down TO work her imagination convention
allies that FORM and she reproduces it in the pattern
of her basket with varying combinations. out al
ways distinctly pnecOne The eagle flies across the
sky cirCling down enough to earth so tnat MS
strongly serraed yet regular wing feathers stand ont
in bold relief against the pale Sky. The memory OF
that Il pcrpeuated In the next weaving. sometimes
II is the jagged edge Of Leaf or the spiral OF q
ringed serpent The butterfly. the bird. the mountain
the sinuous the gstening scales of the trout
all these and many more contribute 10 inc Narlo"
forms that can be woven by the def fingers OF the
Indian woman who reeds into utensils aS
our grandmothers wove bluc and white linens INTO
quilts or as the dear old ladies adapted nature
in less artistic way in Rising sum- Log Cabin. Pyramid
and Crazy patterns. for spare room comfortables.
one day an Indian mother noticed silky. soft CO.
coon swinging from the limb of rec. 1t was an H.
.plraOn Ever after that she ; aped the cradle foe
her papoose like the cocoon. with leather thongs at
tached 80 that she might swing it to the limb OF
tree while she at work. or could strap 1t 10 her
forehead when she went from place to place
TO the student OF ethnoogy, carefully chosen col
lection of baskets can be made almost priceless IN
value but why one who little for ethnology and
less for evolution should spend thousands OF dollars
on an uncassied LOT Of baskets is beyond KEN These
basket raids are revelations to the conservative man
who respects the personal privacy Of others regardless
of race difference ON such raid an Ohio woman
Who has most valuable collection Of baskets and other
Indian cuiios drove up 10 the door of remote adobe
dvrlng near san Jacnto. The rest Of the party were
thinning of the sad story of Ramona many OF inc
scene, OF which laid in this vicinity. lut
Ramona vas lar from thoughts Of the basket hunter.
/ Snllen Indian 10 the door in response to her
A'o' Son got ba,kct'7 asked the lady from Ohio.
NO replied the Indian lie knew her STYLE
look see said the woman, lntIepldy pushlhs
past him into the house. l., -
She looked in the cuphoams, in corners, IN o9xee,
on shelves, and finally under the bed whence she drew
two small ironbound boxes or chests opening these
she found inside little antique basket. yard OF 80
of old Of great value that had probably been worn
by one Of the saints AT the Mission, some small
mcdaons of saints painted on glass ana SlNerDound
ircviarv Gathering these mp eNultantly. she laid
down $50 and came the carriage. The Indian
was speeches. with rage Ills eyes sowed win auli
fire. The last We saw of him he had sunk down npon
his bed with the air of utter detection which comes
from the feeling of having no right TO live, Of BEN;
bcy ond the pale of the law protection.
\, H.. We We're mortified, and one. more bold
than the rest. said 10 the woman:
How do You dare To do what you would XIII a
man for doing In your own house -
\ loud laugh toss of the handsome head crowned
with white hair. and convincing. But il Is the only
way 10 get those Indians TO show one anything. Be
sides wanted Tie things all the satisfaction We
had
Another woman met showed with unfeigned
del ght small blue satin Jacket trimmed with gold
lace that she had cut off saint in one Of the old
missions. committing the deed after sending the priest
into the -aCri>ty trivial ernd. and easing h"r
conscience with small gold piece dropped into the
poorbO\. Taken Is q whole, however. me collectors
i,al fairly enough with the natives. In some eases
they get the worst Of the hargain For example,
have frequently zen baskets that were bought from
the Indians for ~ 30. sold CredulouS tourist for
so. The men who make business of selling baskets
usually buy them for song and then iabIicate legends
TO justify an Increase of price, often ten times the
original cost.
THE JUDGE SMILED At LAST,