78 Field Museum of Natural History — Anth., Vol. XII. 



and in the rims of women's baskets. In this type the foundation 

 (.•onsists of a series of horizontal rattan strips or rods which are sewed 

 together in the following manner. A narrow strip .1 passes over two 

 of these parallel rods 2 and 3 in a left handed spiral. At the top of the 

 loop the strip passes under a similar strip B which binds rod 2 to the 

 one above. Passing downward inside the basket, the strip .4 goes 

 beneath the strip C which binds rods 3 and 4 together. These are 

 drawn tightly while damp, thus forcing the foundation rods so closely 

 together as to make the basket practically water-tight. Pitch from the 

 tabon-tabon nuts may also be rubbed over the outside surface, thus 

 making the receptacle impervious to water. 



In the great majority of baskets the surface is divided into three 

 parallel zones or decorative bands. These are produced by making a 

 slight variation in the weave, by the use of blackened strips of bamboo 

 and rattan, or by substituting in their place the black cuticle of a fern. 



As a rule the women of this tribe are not good potters and take little 

 pride in their work. In some districts the art has been entirely lost, and 

 the people depend on the coast natives for their cooking utensils. At 

 the village of Bansalan the women were found still to be proficient in 

 their work. After the dampened clay had been carefully kneaded in 

 order to remove lumps and gravel, the bottom of the jar was moulded 

 with the fingers and placed on a dish which was turned on a bit of cloth 

 or a board and answered the purpose of a potter's wheel. As the dish 

 was turned with the right hand the operator shaped the clay with the 

 fingers of the left adding fresh strips of material from time to time until 

 the desired size was obtained. The final shaping was done with a 

 wooden paddle and the jar was allowed to dry, after which it was 

 smoothed off with a stone. When ready for firing it was placed in the 

 midst of a pile of rubbish, over which green leaves were placed to cause 

 a slow T fire. 



Other dishes are made by splitting a cocoanut in half and removing 

 the "meat." This is readily accomplished by the use of a scraper 

 fitted with a rough iron blade (Fig. 25), over which the concave side of 

 the half nut is drawn. The cocoanut meat is used for food and oil. 



ut Scraper. 



