CULTURE OF PEOPLE OF SOUTHEASTERN PANAMA 97 



support for the handle, which is made of similar material and is 

 composed of a bundle of filaments covered with simple roll wrap- 

 ping (Cat. No. 327,571, U.S.N.M., pi. 23, No. S). 



A basket from the San Bias coast, 10.2 cm. (4 in.) high and 14 

 cm. (5.5 in.) in diameter at margin, is made from a very tough 

 fiber called "sarki" (Tule). The wickerwork base is constricted; 

 on the side of the basket is a simple cross or checkerboard weave 

 of over one under one. One side of the basket projects 2 inches 

 above the termination of the other lateral half and serves as handle 

 or scoop. Diameter at the base is greater than at the margin. The 

 decorative design introduced in the basket previously mentioned is 

 present here as is also the mode of forming the rolled margin there 

 described (Cat. No. 327570, U.S.N.M., pi. 23, No. 9). A basket vase 

 from the San Bias coast is 18.9 cm. (7.4 in.) in height and 8.5 cm. 

 (3.3 in.) in diameter, shaped in the form of a bottle with flaring body 

 and margin, and with constricted neck orifice. The elements or 

 basketry filaments are coarse vines woven in wicker design. The 

 margin is 5.4 cm. (2.1 in.) in diameter (Cat. No. 327587, U.S.N.M., 

 pi. 23, No. 10). 



A similar basketry design, but widened, in the form of a pack 

 basket and fitted to the back, is found in the basket collected by 

 Mrs. H. C. Curl in the Chucunaque River district. The foundation 

 is composed of 15 splints forming the sides and 17 radial and added 

 splints forming the ends; the margin is composed of a rod wound 

 with filaments strenghtened with a rod on the inner surface of the 

 basket 1 inch below the margin. The same vine material em- 

 ployed in the basket previously described, " bejuco hierro," or iron 

 withe, is the material utilized in its construction (Cat. No. 253651, 

 U.S.N.M., pi. 23, No. 12). 



A variety of other baskets collected by Pittier, Marsh, and others 

 from the territory occupied by the Choco, Cuna, and Tule in south- 

 eastern Panama are now in the National Museum. Among these 

 are carrying baskets, cylindrical containers, pack baskets, and a 

 large telescoping basketry trunk. Both the Choco and the Tule 

 Indians make a large cylindrical basket 43.3 cm. (17 in.) in diameter 

 and 50.9 cm. (20 in.) high, in hexagonal openwork twill weave of 

 strips of split vine, or lianas. Another basket, standing 45.8 cm. 

 (18 in.) high, of hexagonal openwork weave, but constructed of 

 broad splints of split stems of the little arrowroot, is used by the 

 Tule as a bird cage or fish basket. The native name is " sikkivi'u ? * 

 (Tule) (Cat. No. 327543, U.S.N.M.). The open work meshes are 

 constricted toward the neck orifice where the filaments, after forming 

 a neck orifice 1 centimeter in height, are tucked under on three 

 sides of the now circular orifice, but are continued in close herring- 



