48 



Mat and Basket Wra^'ing. 



from the Gilbert Ids. is very small. They come to tlie Museum labelled "Basket for 

 books," and if this is their only use their origin must be recent, for it is not many 

 decades that these islanders have had any books to put into them. On the other 

 hand those of similar shape from Fiji are certainly ancient, some specimens in 

 the old Marine Museum at Salem, Massachusetts (now Peabody Academy of 

 Science) dating from the early years of the last century when the cannibals of that 

 group had no books. 



While all the satchels in this Museum from the Gilbert group are made of 

 broad leaves sewed together and not interwoven, the embroidery of black or red strips 



Fig. 51. PANDANUS S.^TCHEL, FIJI. 



being inserted by splitting the leaves as needed and after the basket is put together, 

 those from Fiji are genuine mat work with broad strips, the embroidery being by the 

 same method in both cases. In the Fijian satchel. No. S198 (Fig. 51 ), the small strips 

 inserted obliterate the irregularities left by the alternate raised and depressed squares 

 in the weave of the satchel and leave a uniform surface. This is especially noticeable 

 in the band along the upper edge. In the Fijian satchel the bottom and edges are 

 continuous and not sewed as are the bottoms of those from the Gilbert Ids. There is 

 a fine series of the Fijian satchels in the Salem Museum, better, I believe, than else- 

 where. The dimensions of the.se satchels in the Bishop Museum vary considerably 

 and are as follows : 



