216 REPORT OF NATIONAL MTTSEUM, 1902. 



where the best examples abound. From tlie farthest north, in the 

 neighborhood of Point Barrow to the southern portions of South 

 America, roots form sul)stantial materials in basket making-, l)oth 

 twined and coiled. It is not enough to say simply that roots of plants 

 were the materials of the baskets, but it is well known that the savage 

 women knew in each section what plant furnished the toughest and 

 most pliable roots, the localities in which this kind of root reached 

 its best, the plants that jaelded l)rown, i-ed, and black colored splints, 

 which produced unrivaled effects, though the portion above ground 

 gave no sign of the treasures held or the time of 3"ear when it was 

 proper to ol)tain these substances, and the processes by which they 

 could 1)6 extracted and saved most economicall}^. Incidentally to this 

 quest of material, of course, was that of carr3dng, so that here in the 

 very beginning of our art a host of useful human activities are 

 engendered. The Klamath invented a peculiar kind of mud shoe 

 to wear when wading about in shallow marshes after roots for their 

 basket work. (See tig. 1.) 



The stems of plants, of grass, rushes, and woody species are to be 

 found in the basketr}^ of almost everj^ portion of the Western Hemi- 

 sphere. The young and tough shoots of a single year's growth are 

 choice materials for some purposes, and were eagerly" sought. In those 

 regions where spinous plants 3ielded the materials, a sort of gathering 

 knife was employed resembling a miniature sickle with a wooden handle. 

 There is a time of yeav when they are in the best condition for the 

 basket woman's craft. There are certain parts of the stems which are 

 useful in this direction, while others are valueless. In wood}^ species 

 the outer hu'er next to the bark has the toughness of leather, while a 

 littl(> Avay inward the Avood is almost as brittle as glass. Furthermore, 

 th(^ stems of plants vary greatly in color — different parts of the same 

 stem are in different colors. 



Now, the student would be surprised to find in the East, in the West, 

 in the North, and in the South that there is very little more for the 

 savage woman to learn. Distinguished botanists will say that instead 

 of trying to teach the Indians the use of new plants, the best wa}" to 

 search for uqw materials to introduce into modern textile arts can l)e 

 learned from these savage artisans. The leaves of plants are used in 

 basketry, especialh' in the South. In the extreme North, among the 

 Eskimo and Athapascan tri])es, no leaves are suitable for basketry. 

 Among the Aleutian Islanders stems and leaves of grass come into 

 play. Down the Pacific coast of the continent, in southeastern Alaska, 

 British C'oluml)ia, and the coast States of the Union leaves, either in 

 their natural color or dA'ed, are employed Avith great effect in many 

 types of ornamentation, as will be seen further on. The range of use- 

 fulness, either for texture or ornament, is well known to the basket 

 maker. In Mexico and tropical America this division of the subject 



