256 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1902. 



Fig. 55. 

 overlaying in coiled work. 



son River Indian.s of British Columbia, who arc iSalishan. Tlic body 

 of the basket is in the root of Thuja pJicatu^ and the ornamentation 

 in strips of Elyniu^ triticoldcs and Primus demissa. (See fij;". 54.) 



Imbrication is one of the most restricted of technical processes. 

 Eells says that some women in ever}- tribe on Puget Sound could pro- 

 duce the stitch, and he names the 

 Puyallups, Twanas, Snohomish, 

 Clallam, Makah, Skagit, Cowlitz, 

 Chehalis, Nisqualli, and Squaxon. 

 It doubtless orioinated here. It is 

 the native art of the Klikitat, Yak- 

 ima, and Spokanes, all of whom 

 are of the Shahaptian family. The 

 Thompson and Fraser River In- 

 dians have long- known the art. 

 (See Plates 68, 74-79, 156-167.) 



Fig. 55 is a squai-e inch from the 

 bottom of a Fraser River imbri- 

 cated coiled basket. It illustrates 

 several important features in the basket maker's art. In the first 

 place, the Indians of this ai'ca did not know how to make a ])eginning 

 of the bottom of a rectangular l)asket wnth coiled work, so a block w^as 

 inserted or foundation strips were laid parallel and were w^hipped 

 together after the manner of coiled Avork. This figure also shows 

 how the splitting of stitches before mentioned in sewing may have 

 at first been accidental, the basket 

 maker having in mind only the i)ur- 

 pose of placing the stitches in vertical 

 rows. From this unintentional fur- 

 cation of the stitches comes the pur- 

 poseful splitting, the forked stitches 

 being made alike and uniform. Thus, 

 out of a careless hal)it has come one 

 of the beautiful ornamentations in 

 coiled basketry. A third purpose in 

 this figure is to show% perhaps, tln^. 

 initial step in imbricated work. In- 

 deed, this form of overlaying is seen 

 on many examples of it. A straw^ of 

 squaw grass {Xeroplnjlhini tciKi.i) is 



inclosed under a stitch; it is then turned back; a second stitch is made 

 and the strip of grass laid over it. Thus, over tlie surface there is an 

 alternation of exposed and concealed stitches b}' means of this material. 

 This is elsewhere called ' ' beading. '' 



I. Grass-coil foundation. — The foundation is a bunch of grass or rush 



FOUKBATION OF STRAWS IN COILED WORK. 



