810 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1902. 



(6^) Tmhrication. — This term, derived from the Latin imbrex, a tile, 

 is applied to a style of decoration used in Washington and British 

 Columbia b}^ the Klikitat and man}^ of the Salish tribes, and most 

 closely allied in technic with the feather work on basketry farther 

 south. Leaves of JLei'opkylhmi tenax^ strips of wild cherry bark or 

 of the inner bark of the cedar, in natural color or djed black, are laid 

 over the sewing- of the coiled work. The juice of the Oregon grape is 

 used to produce a bright yellow dye. The separate elements of the 

 imbrication are squares or rectangles, varying in size with the fineness 

 of the workmanship. But the mosaic effect is most striking, and 

 designs of intricate character are successfull}'^ expressed in it. The 

 Salish tribes about the Fraser mouth have learned to widen the coils 

 by using thin strips of wood, often half an inch wide, as foundation of 

 the coil. This increases the size of the imbrications and of the pat- 

 terns. (See page 254 and Plate 68, also Plates 11, 13, 15, and 55.) 



Ornamentation in Thompson River basketry is produced by imbrica- 

 tion and by })eading (for detail drawing see iigs. 52 and 53 and Plate 

 102). Imbrication is done by l)ringing the piece of grass over the 

 outside of the last stitch and forward, then doubling it back and 

 catching the dou])le end with the next stitch. The outsides of Klikitat, 

 Cowlitz, and Thompson baskets are completely covered in this manner, 

 so that the whipped cedar splints can only be seen from the inside. 

 Lillooet baskets have the lower part of the body plain, while the 

 Chilcotin baskets have a separate band in the middle of the body. 

 The grass used is that called Nho'itlexin. It is long, ver}^ smooth, 

 and of a glossy yellow-white color {X^67'0]:)liyUum tena:e). To make it 

 whiter diatomaceous earth is sometimes spread over it and it is then 

 beaten with a flat stick on a mat or skin. The grass is seldom dyed, as 

 the colors are said to fade soon. (Teit.) 



(/') Feather-worl'^ headx.^ etc. — The California baskets adorned with 

 feathers are called jewels. They no longer serve vulgar uses. The 

 beautiful productions covered with styles of ornamentation before 

 described have often the marks of fire, the stain of berries, the smell 

 of fish about them, proclaiming that they were not above combining 

 the beautiful with the useful. The feather baskets sacrifice use to 

 beauty. 



The tribes of eastern America have not emploj'cd feathers in basket 

 work in recent times. The nearest approach to it is the porcupine- 

 quill work of the Indians in Canada and the United States. The quills 

 are dyed and set on the surface of birch baskets by thrusting the sharp 

 ends into the bark. The old historians tell of gorgeous feather robes 

 made doubtless in the Indian fashion of twined weaving, which is akin 

 to baskctr}'. The Eskimo, Aleut, Ilaida, and Tlinkit do not ornament 

 baskets with feathers, but they do apply in dainty fashion to some of 

 them worsted, hair, and furs. Neither do the tribes of the Fraser- 



