The Washington times., 1901-06-30
HANDIVORK OF INDIANS
Baskets. Mats, and Wickerwork
Woven by Deft Fingers.


weeks collection illustrating the arts,
native and acquired, of the red men OF
the United States. The object of the
collection, which was made under the
direction of Miss Reel, Superintendent
of Indian Schools. and which has been
sent to the Teachers Congress in Dc
troit and the Buffalo Exposition, is a
most worthy one--to call attention to
the capabilities af the Indian in certain
lines Of industry, and thus open, if pos
sible. an extended market for their
wares.
A Times reporter. CHANGING to stroll
into the room where the collection was
stored, had the various articles ex-
planned to him by the very affable
young lady in charge.
I'm sorry Miss Reel is not here.
said she: '.she knows so much more
about ii than I do You see, there are
only the baskets here now, and these
few specimens of lace work, which are
very beautiful. I know men don't know
much about lace, but if You were
woman Won would just go wild over
hem; shat handkerchief is simply ex-
quisite. II is wonderful with what apti-
tude the Indian women have acquired
the art OF lace making.
Some of these baskets are very
curious. Basket making is, of course, a
native art with the Indians. which they
have practiced from time immemorial.
The art is being perpetuated and taught
in the schools. but the teachers are the
old squaws, who alone understand il.
The art is practiced TO greatest perfec-
tion by the most uncivilized tribes-the
more civilized the Indians the worse
their basket making. Look at this, for
instance. The combination of colors is
simply horrible, and the workmanship
is poor. These bright hues are pro-
duced by means of cheap chemical dyes,
while the colors in these specimens of
genuine native work are the natural
tints OF the various grasses used. The
pattern, you viii observe. appears both
OF the outside and inside of the bas-
ket, as in an ingram carpet
Various tribes have each their dis
tinctive type OF basketry. This is quite
a rare kind-the outside, as you see,
completely covered with the vari-col-
ored feathers of small birds, while the
basket itself is woven so tightly that it
viii hold water. All the work is done by
hand, you must remember. Now, here
is wickerwork water bottle. The
shape of this utensil. curiously enough,
is nearly or quite identical with that of
the earthen jars used for a similar pur-
pose in the Orient. In use this bottle is
covered on the outside with coating of
pitch, which is moistened, and on the
hottest day the water in the bottle re-
mains perfectly cool.
This said the speaker, in reference
to an article like the cover OF large
basket, but open in the centre, is a hat
And this is a gambling mat" The ar
ticle referred TO was circular mat of
finely woven grass or straw, decorated,
like the rest of the articles in the OIL
lection, so as to resemble the skin of a
many-hued serpent. The use of this
mat for the purpose implied by its
name would appear to be both curious
and unique. One of the parties in the
game Of chance holds in his hands, be-
meath the mat and covered by the same
a number Of stones. The other player
or players are then called upon to guess
tiot of his hands, which latter is done
by those guessing tapping the top of
the mat in the supposed location. The
one guessing nearest the number OF
stones held, or the position of the
holders hands wins the game
The collection mas attracted the at
tention of experts in Indian basketry in
this city, prominent among whom is
Prof. Cts T. Mason, Curator of the Di-
vision of Ethnology at the Smithsonian
Institution From the Investigations OF
Prof Mason it appears that the art
owes its origin to the methods employed
by the primitive Indian hunters in
catching game and fish.
The ancient engineers in America"
says ne. who built obstructions in
streams to aid in catching or impound-
ing fish. drove q row of sticks into the
bottom of The stream a few inches
apart Vines and brush were woven
upon these upright sticks which served
for warp. In passing each stake the
Two vines CT pieces of brush made a
half turn on each other. This formed a
very primitive mode of weaving. Plain
twined baslctry is made on exactly the
same plan: there is a set Of warp ele-
ments which may be reeds, or spIints,
or string.
THE finest specimens Of wickerwork
fn America" continued Prof. Mason.
are the very pretty Hopi plaques. Of
which there are numerous examples in
the collection. The method OF making
these is as follows: Short stems are
dyed IN various coIors, worked into the
warp. and driven tightly home so as to
hide the ends. and also the manner Of
weaving. Various patterns are effected
an the surface-clouds, mythical birds,
and symbols connected with worship.
It has passed into modern industry
through the cultivation of osiers. rat
tan. and such plants for market bas-
kets, covers for glass bottles, and in |
ribbed cloth. wherein flexible weft is
worked On rigid warp.
'Twined or watiled basketry is found /
in ancient mounds Of the Mississippi |
Valley. in the Rocky Mountains. and |
all down the Pacific coast from the /
Island Of Attu, the most westerly Of the |
Aieutian chain. TO the borders of Mex /
ice II is the most elegant and sntri- |
cate Of all in the woven or pIicated |
species. In the diagonal twined Weay- /