ABORIGINAL AMERICAN BASKETRY. 331 



thread as one would suppose, ))ut with roots split so fine that in some 

 places the sewinj^- shows 00 stitches to the inch. 



Dr. Dixon has made careful personal invcstio-ations concerning the 

 syml)olism on the haskc^trv of California tribes east of the Sacramento 

 River." The following- designs with their tribal assignments may be 

 found in Dr. I^ixon's plates: 



WIN'TUM (CoPEIIAN) DESIGNS 



Arrow points. (Plate 2'A.) 

 Bear's foot. (Plate 23.) 

 Bent elbow. (Plate 23.) 

 Cross waves. (Plate 24.) 

 Deer excrement. ( Plate 24. ) 

 Eniijty spool. ( Plate 24. ) 

 Fishtail. (Plate 23.) 



Flying geese. (Plate 23.) 

 Leaves strung. ( Plate 24. ) 

 Pulled around. ( Plate 24. ) 

 Rattlesnake. (Plate 23. ) 

 Striped. (Plate 24.) 

 Water snake. ( Plate 23. ) 

 Wolf's eye. (Plate 23.) 



MOQUELITMNAN DESIfiXS 



Eye. (Plate 26.) | Quail tip. (Plate 26.) 



PIT KIVEK (PALAIIINUIAN) DESKiNS 



Arrow point. (Plate 22.) I Skunk's nose. (Plate 22.) 



Lizzard. (Plate 23.) | 



MAIDU (pU.IUNAN) DESIGNS 



Deer excrement. (Plate 25.) 1 Rattlesnake. (Plate 25.) 



Earthworm. (Plate 25.) | Water snake. (Plate 25.) 



NOZI (yanan) deskjns 



Wolf's eve. (Plate 25.) | House. (Plate 25.) 



Dr. Dixon's conclusions are of interest. Designs are subject to 

 much variation, chiefly through difl'erent arrangements of elementary 

 and constant foi'uis in the })attern. If there are two or more types 

 for the same element they are never found together. Designs are 

 essentially the same on coiled and twined basketry, but most of the 

 Maidu baskets are coiled, and there is suggestion of acculturation from 

 the Pit Rivers. Fiuiction and form of the ])asket have something to 

 do with symbols, certain designs l)eing restricted to plaiiues, others 

 to SOU]) bowls, and so on. The spiral line is a favorite in massing 

 syml)ols. Some of the pattei'ns are found everywhere in the Maidu 

 area, others are ((uite restricted. In most cases, and this is the uni- 

 v(>rsal t(\stimony, th(> intent of the design is not clear from mere 

 inspection, but must be e.\])lain(Hl ))efore it can be understood. The 

 author's summai'v of Maidu s3nil)ols is the very large variety and 

 number, the fre([uency of animal designs, the unusual predominance 

 of plant designs, the numl)er in which the realism is ol)s('ured, the 



"Basketry Designs of the Indians of Northern California, Bulletin of the American 

 Museum of Natural History, XVII, pp. 1-32, 37 plates. 



