348 REPOET OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1902. 



made with a neatness, ino-eniiity. and simplieit}' which deserve the 

 highest praise. Splint is the chief material, but they likewise use a 

 species of sweet grass, and also corn husks. Among- these various 

 patterns, which are as diversified as convenience or ingenuitj^ could 

 suggest, the most perfectly finished is the sieve basket. It is designed 

 for sifting corn meal, to remove the chit and coarse particles after the 

 corn has been pounded into Hour. The l)ottom of the l)asket is woven 

 in such fine checks that it answers very perfectly all the ends of the 

 wire sieve. Another variety of baskets was made of corn husks and 

 Hags very closely and ingeniously braided. In their domestic economy 

 the basket answered many purposes. Cat. Nos, 221161-3, U.S.N.M. 



From the historians of the disco^•erv it is learned that ])asketry was 

 used in connection with the gathering and preparing of food. Bartram 

 mentions the use of a sieve which the Indians of Georgia have for 

 straining a "cooling sort of jelly called conti, made b}" pounding cer- 

 tain roots in a mortar and adding water." Dumont describes the sieves 

 and winnowing fans of the Indians of Louisiana. The Indian women, 

 he says, make tine sieves with the skin which the}' take off of the canes; 

 they also make some with larger holes, which serve as bolters, and 

 others without holes, to be used as winnowing fans. They also make 

 baskets very neath' fashioned, cradles for holding maize. By compar- 

 ing this statement with what is said about the California gleaners it 

 will be seen that the Louisiana tribes knew how to sift meal, leaving 

 the coarse particles inside the sie^'e, and also to separate seeds from 

 chaff, and finally from coarse material, by beating over the edge of a 

 tightly woven basket. 



Du Pratz also sa^'s that for 



sifting tlie flour of their maiz, and for otlier uses, the natives make sieves of various 

 finenesses of the splits of cane. 



John Smith, speaking of the Indians of Virg'inia, sa3^s they 



use a small basket for their Temmes, then pound againe the great, and so separating 

 by dashing their hand in the basket, receiue the flowr in a platter of wood s(:raj)ed 

 to that forme with burning and shels. 



Strachey makes the following statement: 



Their old wheat they firste steepe a night in hot water, and in the morning pound- 

 ing yt in a morter, they use a small baskett for the boulter or seaver, and when they 

 have syfted fourth the finest, they pound againe the great, and so separating yt l)y 

 dashing their hand in the baskett, receave the flower in a platter of wood, which, 

 blending with water, etc. 



There are no gleaning baskets in the Arctic and few in northern 

 Canada. Birch, elm, and pine bark usurp the place of textile mate- 

 rials. But all along the southern l)order there were gleaners and a 

 variet}^ of basket forms in their hands. Maize, wild rice, roots, nuts, 

 and berries were food staples. Checker matting, wicker basketry, 

 and twined bagging supplied the receptacles. 



For the basket maker there are four Alaskas: — Athapascan, and 



