The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-15

" " tIt iiilllu shiih sas.
Alone in the forest or out on the edge OF a
lonely waste. woven grass ARTICLES came in,o use
ayard In diameter and as smooth as a table We're
woven for tribal gambling purposes Bueklers
were made by the hundred. ana the sQpaws vleu
or lovers armor so strongly woven that i would
resist the most violent assault, and wtthal 80
beautifully decorated that its wearer would
be the pride Of the tribe There Tdls graz Tho
variety Of the Indian textile articles, the Ia.
finite number OF shapes. the many kinds OF
texture and the uncountable STYLES OF decora-
ton all form an interesting study IN the evo-
luton Of savage estheticism and handicraft., ,
Tho wealth and standing, OF an aboriginal
family were known, In the tribe By, ~ QUANTITY
and her girls rested on the quality and orns-
mentaton Of the baskets. A woman who
could weave a ha IN snn,x ;hhspe,y o6 6asife Ia Fl
water for a month without seepsae was the
level of the tribe. There we're several squaws
u the Tularss Of the san ySsauIIn Veil Valley Cn ana
DO. that; 1t took from six TO nine months TO
basket had thirty strands to the linear inch
more than forty strands OF twisted grass, to
the inch. They are maryels OF skill " weaving
and are worth their weight many times oyer
a Modoc basket holding about a quart that
was woven ffty-seven strands TO the inch.
II Il without a counterpart. NOWADAYS the
Indians seldom weave baskets OF more than
There's a wide difference between the old
time California indian baskets and the bas-
l hss' t tsTt are made "a = ts savage r rss 'o Tns LATER wesr
are made a. quickly and cheaply as possible,
Formerly a sayaw would spend a whole day
inof visiting y, 7 and bo sSsnls''s end T feS WEEKS a s would
The. oid:time California Indian basket e to
modern 6askstrE what S,rt irIsh penn Sdx laSs rs tb no
white mans ideas are put into the weave, These
baskets are porous. rough and coarse in strands.
while dyes bought at the store are good enough.
pllable and marvellously durable baskets Of
early days have disappeared with the white
mans farming operations on ths psciIo 1oa A.
coast toward the mountains.
Before the indians began, making baskets
for money there were probably no two baskets
kets OF all forms suggested to them by nature,
To-day ! 70 t SIs might start a a , SsnAf from saa tss s Hsc
a turtle or a birds nest might be The patterns.
The ingenious shapes and sizes Of the baskets
in almost any good collection OF California
Indian baskets are astonishing. Then the
original decorations Of the textile products
show a remarkable Instinct for harmonious
color effects. Some baskets, from the mas;
from flowers. leaves. the bark Of trees and
rocks, The coloring Is sometimes I'm dark
browns. black and red, admirably graded.
the rich tints OF a finely colored ,meerschaun
pipe. Such tinting Is particularly. apparent
N the older and finer baskets now dear to the
some OF the baskets OF the Indians OF northern
California. especially those of the Modocs. have
feathers or bits of bright cloth woven into them,
frequently the rich red OF the great woodpecker
beautiful plumes OF the California quail. In some
OF the old baskets the surface was originally
covered with red feathers, while circular beads
Of bone were woven in around the edges, each
piece representing in our coinage a value OF
The material Of the textile artists varied ao-
cording to the locality on the Pacific Coast.
The tule grass, Junctus robnstus. Il commonly
employed, the Techahet Indians using 1t almost
exclusively. This grass was collected and dried,
strangers were merely punches OF This tule pre-
pared for the weaver's use. A tall. thin gross.
VITA ripens. was used as a body Of the coil.
about which pieces Of the iuncus were wound.
Such Of the latter as we're intended for orna-
mentation were dved black by sleeping in water
portions Of Suedd diTusc, and a rich 'ellowish
brown was produced N 2 Ike manner from the
bottoms Of large baskets were often strength
ened BY the Introduction OF twigs Of Rhus
uromdhcd or aromatio oak.
California were famous basket makers, the
baskets being constructed by the ,wincd method
and being flexible. yet watertiSht. hence fur
nishing the name water baskets often given
to the work. Some Of them, like the Eel River
tribe. produce a coiled and whipped structure.
the coil often double. with two rods or osiers
carried around In II instead OF one, while In the
baskets OF the Time Indians the oseri Is overlaid
with a strip OF Yucca or bark. The ornamentatton
Is accomplished by weaving In black rootlets
or bark In a pattern Of squares or other attract
i've designs. 4 very coarsc. highly colorrd
basket often found in california made Of a
bundle OF Yucca. Is the work OF the Coahuila
various natural colors. resembling reed cane.
The ornamentation is often q series Of chestnut
colored crosses or series OF rhoinboids inclosing
~'riangles Of another tint. Manv OF the fine large
human figures introduced. are made by the
Tokut Indians, and these rank as the most
elaborate eIamrles Of this Indian industry.
into 1nlian basketry. such "a beads. she'll
and feathers, came at about 1910. The Pomos
reached the highest perfection in this form Of
decoration, but the feather work OF oil the
northern California tribes proves the uncom-
mon dellcacy OF the native taste. No inhar-
monious colors are used. and while the -plendor
OF the color seems to have answered every de-
mand, this was often enhanced by contrast.
When the Russian explorers came down the
Pacific coast they were struck with the rare
linens Of the Indian featte ornamented bss-
kets were sent to st. Petersburg. One Of the
most notable examples Of elaborate feather
concentrations OF basketry is a baby basket
almost covered with the down Of woodreckers'
scalps. among which are many loors Of string
beads. Around the rim OF the basket is a row
OF little black ouails' plumes exQuisitely ar
ranged, The harmony Of coloring is surpris-
ing. More than 200 woodpeckers were sacri-
feed in the making OF this basket. 4 souaw
was busy with the basket and its
ton at times for three years.
When President Harrison and his party
were in California in 1891 an old chief OF the
Pomos gave Mrs. Harrison a marvellous tex
ia M Af hig q Coma. Glib. ,x.-A