Arizona republican., 1902-03-18
INDIAN RAsKETRY
Changing Phases of An Important Ma
 tive Industry.


 work of hashetry is becoming . lost ar; among the American indians. and the cuiio collectors are gathering in afl tn" baskets which the reservations can produce. while the eIucatioI of the Indian is leading him ct oc the baske- business and into nIro mo! rIiT pro .itjhie fields.
 Parti,ul;rly ia this true ct the Indian rifles in the southwestern country. al- though tn, immense deiland fc: the wicker work. and tn consequent higl prices have. to a Gcsrs-. revive l toe industry.
 It is e-t,.-atei that bask :s valued at no less than $3.0co.foo have been takea rom California and Arizona alcae. .n rhA past two years. Ta he sure the makers received but 2 small rrc :.1,tIon cf that sum, tha a-- -,cl' plc. it gojr>; to the eastern deal-.
 So heavy has b-cl =. demand that tI:. southwest ha:; l.-.I nsIrly denuds-l of th- finer baskets. and hundreds e. G=elers and museum Urstars are vNi;S with e2ch other | ret G:.r specimens cf work O. thc diff .lc-t tribes. Tn beginning of the bashe;ry art was in the necessity of the Indians ana Is sa Car in the past as to be UHracCrtio4. When the whites first came to the vcuntr. the aborigines were using ba'- Eets made with such material as they had 2 hand. differing in ths various !-.alities All cf the Pacific coast h. G.lnc. frcm AlasI2 to Mexico Were pr dcient in this art: but at rresen+. the largest tribes ale ia Arizo-a. Here the basket is in every day U=r. from the cradle to the grave. anc als i,. place in the secret it's and ce. monies f several tribe. Tae Mc..i. CT Hc3i. rl"caue<. are used in the altar setting, n thr snakn kira and alec to hold the meal which is s2rinkied on th- priests and r2ttieIa at thr celebrated suall- dance.
 The AVaC aes make q gr9lt variety or rs.y fine baskets. ani their large oli.s are in ercIt daman In many speei- ms c- their work. as well as iu that ci th- Pimas and Naricopas the SVastica c1oss. the ancient Egyptian ay mncl. is found. That it is no acci- G-At is demonstrated by it. e lstant r uIrcaCe in their h..cs try and cl tin lCcks. The PiIaas md Mariccpas .or- r3s!ly made fine Specin,e els and si-ra 'eW of them dc at the present time. hut CCGt"Ct with the whites has had it's r1s,t a1G the art is s- rapidly dy z that fine specimens are rarely found
 -tsidc of priEata collections. Just at this time. however. the Pima tribe with TO water for irriga tiCn Of their lands. and with consequent errty lar dElS. are. in d measure. taking up the ls"Guishine industry. and men. women and children ale being pressed into ~crvice. making baskets.
 Basket weaving was introduced am 2G the Pinas probably 1o0 years ago when the Maric0pas sought she.ter "n.cas thcm from the s!aught5r cf the { NCmGs. At that time the PiI!.as made rauery only. but perceiving that the 1 baskets were an advanced work. they ie9l-ei tho art from the refugees On iha ether hand. the M2iic2pls al ! lowed basket weaving to fall into dis uSr, and new Marufactura pottery aaiN. The Maricopa woman carries h. ncttery for sale in d basket but WhiIe anxious to dispose cf the earth enwarc. she will nct palt with the other The curious fact in relation tn the ih3nsa of industries was asce- -.inei las; sumner by P1of. A. j. lic- ! tlatchi-, of Phoenix. who is making Q l study C. the Pimas on behalf of the { Snith-cHian Institute. This is also the Velba! te~timcny g: Chief Antonio af the PimaT. who is nearly lao wears cid. In the baskets made by the l'imas. the circular part of the weave , is na fr f"o0l tho stems e the cat tail or tule (typha anGustifclia1 They are split into quarters CT eighths as the tex tue C. tha basket demands The vis- iola o" out2r po"t:cls of the basket ar, iHT Spiints that run vertically. The "Hite ones are Will0v- tWigs. split after he bark has been removeI and tn, black Spli.t5 with which the decorative figures ar made. gre taken frc'n the
 co"teN or cUter layer of the seed pods f the devil claw
 scCFe cf yelIz ago there Was no
 real cc!lacticn of Indian baskets. Tn. few stray specimens If aboriginal bas- kf try that 5ple owned were tc sseI G.. top shelves and il out-uf-t -the-way rIa- cls ia hcnes here and there on the Pa eff" coast. There Were specimens or baskets in some of th- museums and ! public libraries. Nearly every town had a few residents who picked uD a1 different times Indian sr.ass-v-ov-.,l baskets and hent them as curious sps- oinen7 Q: savage workmanship Mrs. ! Helen Hunt JariZson. when she was in Fcuthe~n California, getting material cc" her mission Indian stary "Ea- It ma wrote several magazine articles ca the growing value O. Indian bas-
 F ii> as the hieh-sl expression e. say age at Pacific cast journals and . l-i, h i-; took up the subject Of cci!ect-
 ing all the forms O. baskets amona the ! Pacific coast tribes. ere the at was
 ic-t. Scal the collecti1ns. which are
 n5w most nearly complete. weie under i Way. ConrC.sSeurs in b3ek-t1y soon "Hr;:ne Up. eNtravagant lr!ces fer cor tain fine Wcav-s Were raii. and in every Pacific coast community Indian baskets b-calno al m ,,ns C. hcma de"c- raticn.
 : Nowadays Indian basket collecting is a!lncst q mania i1 many communities
 On tha Pacific coast. ln hundreds of ! homes the r1rlor. library and chamber. walls ::re drar-l with Navajo blankets. ! upcl 1vEich at- artiStie.l.y arrange, Ii