ABORIGINAL AMEKKJAN BASKETRY. 210 



the handle, mtide fast bj wrai)piiii,^ Avitli .stroiii;- twine. The o-roove is 

 shouldered so as to take tlu? pressure. The 1)lad(' is d(>taehable for 

 the purpose of o-rindino- it. It will he seen that if held in the riuht 

 hand the operator cuts toward himself. This is the ancient method 

 of whittling- practiced by the peoples on the western shores of the 

 Pacitic Ocean, the Ainos, Japanese, etc. (Hotl'mairs hg. iV.K) 



\ bundle of splints is shown in tig", -io of Iloll'man's paper of dif- 

 ferent widths ready for the hand of the basket maker, and in tig. -ii 

 (IloH'man) is a eoarse-tinished product showing the method oi setting- 

 up the war}) and applying the weft in wicker basketry of the Menonuni. 



It is not known that the ancient Menomini usckI any dyes on their 

 baskets whtitevei-. In their modern ware the}' procure these sul)staiices 

 through traders. 



The sW'Cet grass (Savasfdna odorata)^ of which large quantities of 

 baskets are manufactured, was dried in the shade to hold its color. 

 Further, it was rolled into bunches and sewed with sinew, as the 

 Eskimo do in making their coiled baskets. Very old specimens of 

 such w'are are preserved in collections. But in the ware now in the 

 market twine and braid of this material are prepared beforehand in 

 larg-e quantities for the future use of the weaver and frequentl}' by 

 ditierent hands. 



Farther south in the Eastern l)asket area the canes for twilled bas- 

 ketry needed no knife for the splitting. A slight blow would crush the 

 stalk, the spongy matter adhering to the inside was scraped away, and 

 the splints were ready for the dyer or the weaver if the}' wore not to 

 be colored. 



The following information concerning natural sources of color for 

 basketry and other objects among the Cherokee Indians comes from 

 Miss Harriet C. Wilkie, of Raleigh, North Carolina. The petals of 

 the iris rubbed on a slightly rough surface are said to yield a rich 

 and lasting purple. The blossoms and tender green tops and leaves of 

 the common sneeze weed {Ilelenium aatumnale) made into a tea yield 

 a beautiful and fadeless yellow. Long boiling dulls this to a yellowish 

 olive. The common broom sedge {Andrajjogoti sccqMrlus)^ winter 

 dried, yields another yellow, less pure and brilliant, also much allected 

 by continued boiling. The color is known as ])urnt orange and works 

 beautifully in basketry. 



In central Alaska the Athapascan tribes use both spruce and willow 

 for their coiled basket jai's and trinket material. Much care is bestowed 

 in splitting the roots and stems, in order to procure uniform sewing- 

 material. In the U. S. National Museum the specimens all show care 

 in this regard. The Alaskan Eskimo on Bering- Sea also manufacture 

 coiled basketry as well as twined, but it is from dried grass and sho\vs 

 very little care in the preparation. Crossing over to the Aleutian 

 chain, the care bestowed on materials is different. 



