ABORIGINAL AMERICAN BASKETRY, 805 



interior province, Athapascan tribc.s, the iS'avaho and the Apache, 

 the Yuiuau, and the Piman family arc basket makers. 



6. Tlie sixth province includes Middle and South America, not 

 because all the basketr}" in these reg'ions is on the same plane, but 

 owing- to the small collections received from these (juartiM-s. A g-reat 

 poi'tion of it is in the Torrid zone, where palm leaf and tough cane 

 and reeds await the basket maker. There will be missing the charac- 

 teristics of the North American tribes, and also local weaves will appear 

 worthy of stud3\" 



Unlike pottery, this fabric is not destroyed by frost, so that wher- 

 ever textile material could be o))tained there was no meteorological 

 reason wh}' the basket should not ])e forthcoming. The Athapascans 

 of Alaska and northwestern Canada, possessed of l)oth willow and 

 spruce root, at once developed the coiled ware which theii- descend- 

 ants, the Apache, are still making- in Arizona. 



East of the Rocky Mountains, in the Atlantic drainage of Canada 

 and the United States, at the present time checker and willow work 

 are practiced almost universally; but in the mounds of the Ohio Val- 

 ley quite well diffused twined ware is found. The Gulf province 

 afforded excellent cane {Ariindtnaria macroKpeniui^ Ariuul'iiuifid <jigan- 

 tca^ Anmdinaria tecta), and here, both in ancient times and in modern, 

 diagonal plaiting of basketry and matting was prevalent in all tril)es. 

 The Plains province in its central portion relied chiefly on the hide of 

 animals for its receptacles. But around its borders will l)e found 

 intrusive processes of manufacture in twined, diagonal and coiled 

 workmanship. 



On its Pacific slopes North America is the home of basketry. From 

 Attn, the westernmost island of the Aleutian chain, to the borders of 

 northern Mexico is to t)e found practically every type of this art. 



In Middle America, including southern Mexico and the Central 

 American States, pottery was exalted among receptacles, and excellent 

 fibers usurped the function of the coarser pliable materials of basketry. 



Owing- to diflerences of climate, rainfall, and other characteristics 

 of environment, the materials for l)asketry vary greatly from region 

 to region throughout America, and this in spite of all ethnic considera- 

 tions. Again, the motives for the use of basketry differ from place to 

 place, so much so that peoples of one blood make one ware in this 

 place and another in that. Finally, however, it must never be for- 



«The author acknowledges that many statements made in this ethnic portion of 

 the work are at second hand and has l)een fortunate in being able to consult men of 

 expert information. The Hudson and the Merriam collection, in Washington City, 

 the Benham, Tozier, Emmons, Teit, Long, Whitcoml), ^IcLeod, and others of the 

 west coast have been placed cheerfully at his disi^osal. To IMr. C, C Willoughby, Dr. 

 Boas, Mr. Pepper, Dr. Dixon, Dr. Kroeber, and others mentioned in these pages, he 

 is indebted for constant favors. He hopes that errors will be condoned. 



