IBs REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1902. 



" nierchantnian seeking goodly pearU, who, when he had found one 

 pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it." 

 The genuine enthusiasm kindled in the search, the pride of success 

 in the acquisition, the care bestowed upon them, witness that the 

 basket is a worthy object of study. The story is told of a distin- 

 guished collector who walked many weary miles to the shelter of a 

 celebrated old weayer. He spent the day admiring lier work, but 

 still asking for something better. He knew that she had made liner 

 pieces. At last flattery and gold won. She tore out the back of her 

 hut, and there, hid from mortal eyes, was the l)asket that was to be 

 burned at her death. Nothing could be more ])eautiful, and it will be 

 her monument. 



I. DEFINITION OF BASKETRY 



A jilafo for cvorythins. — Franklin. 



Basketry is the mother of all loom work and beadwork. In that 

 elaboration of industries, through which they pass from naturism to 

 artilicialism, from handwork to machine work, from human power to 

 beast power, wind power, water power, steam or Are power, and electric 

 power, the loom is no exception. The iirst and most yersatile shuttles 

 were women's fingers. Machinery has added speed. But there are 

 many niceties of technic to which the machine deyice can not yet 

 aspire. 



Oyer and aboye the sympathetic, spirit engendered and the kmd 

 encouragement giyen to exquisite and most worthy artists })y the col- 

 lection of basketr}^, the study is a yery important one from the side of 

 culture. It is the alpha of an art in which ])illions of capital are 

 invested, millions of human beings are employed, whose materials and 

 products are transported to earth's remotest limits, whose textures 

 are sought by eyery tribe of mankind. It is from this last point of 

 view that the present work is written. 



The praises of men who inyented the cotton gin, the power loom, 

 and the tapestry loom will be repeated, and monuments erected to 

 memorialize those who harnessed the forces of nature to do their bid- 

 ding. Here a good word is said for the earlier, more primitive, women 

 who made the others possible. It is true that pride in the ownership 

 of an exquisite piece of work may be joined Avith frigid indift'erence 

 toward the maker. It is to be hoped that with admiration of Amer- 

 ican basketry may be coupled a humane feeling for Indian women 

 themselves, who have made so nuich genuine pleasure possil)le, 



American basketry, ancient anel modern, ma}' be studied under the 

 following subdivisions: 



I. Definition of the art, its Tuateriais, tools, processes, and products. 

 II. Materials for basketry, with lists of plants, animals, minerals, including the 

 Indian name, cnmmon names, scientitic names. 



