316 EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1902. 



in the symbolic." Or, in other phrase, variet}" of symbolic expression 

 in the unity of the real art. One looks careful!}^ at a set of drawings 

 like those of Eunnons, Farrand, Fe\ykes, or Dixon, and turns to a 

 familiar collection to Und the same symbols. They are not there; 

 or, rather, they are hiding- there. It is a question whether there be 

 two baskets alike in design among any tribe. This is the real charm 

 of sayage hand work as compared^ with the rather dull uniformity of 

 machine products. All the tribes of the West that haye preseryed 

 their S3^m1)olisms haye at the same time made the most of their liberty 

 to modify the original. 



The suljject of symbolism may be studied from seyeral points of 

 view, the tcchnic, the elaboratiye or historic, and the ethnic. Begin- 

 ning with the technic as the easiest, symbolism is wrought in checker, 

 twill, wncker, twine, and coil. Looking at a coarse piece of matting 

 made up of monotonous squares, it is not easy to see how the story of 

 creation or tribal preservation could ))e wrought into them. But with 

 finer elements and the introduction of color, a part of the difficult}' 

 vanishes. In point of fact, however, there is little evidence that sen- 

 timent was wrought into checker, or even into twilled weaving. There 

 is no essential difficulty in the way. Mosaic in stone or other hard 

 material is made up of little blocks, chiefl}' squares, and both the 

 twined and the coiled basketry surfaces contain innumeral)le designs 

 made up in small squares in black or other color. 



Symbolism may be studied in its elaboration or historic develop- 

 ment. The history of a symbol on basketry is the same as that of a 

 design on pottery or a painting on hide. Perhaps, since the technical 

 demands are more exacting, the progressive appearance of the ideal 

 is more rapid and the hiding of the original more complete. A 

 moment's thought makes it clear that one is dealing simply with a 

 universal law of mental development. The basketry of any one tribe 

 will show what is meant. On a single Hopi plaque it is not rare to 

 see side by side the complete figure of a bird or butterli}' with out- 

 spread wings and near by an abbreviated cross which means the same 

 thing. (See Plate 47.) " 



Another specimen constructed by the same hands will have the cross 

 but not the birds. By and l)y enough examples are brought into com- 

 parison to show the process of fading out through which the realistic 

 becomes only a skeleton. There is a celebrated Japanese painting- 

 showing seven stages in the life of a beautiful girl. As she passes into 

 womanhood, through all its years, behind the real face the pretty child 

 is seen, and even the skull that lies among the flowers shows to the 

 beholder, after a moment's gaze, the loveh" girlish face. In the last 

 relic of symbol on basketry to the trained eye of mythology the same 

 transition takes place. The comparison of an ordinary lot of Califor- 

 nia basketry, their zigzag lines, arrowheads, mountains, and crossing 

 paths, with such treasures as are in the ]\ierriam collection, each gath- 



