416 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1902. 



Especial attention is liero called to the .sharpened stake which has a 

 circular board on toj). This is driven into the ground, and the woman 

 seated works upward instead of downward, as in most cases. This 

 si:)ecimen, Catalogue No. 89033 in the U. S National Museum, was 

 procured in Queen Charlotte Archipelago b}- James G. Swan. (See 

 fig. 148.) It will be remembered that in an ancient drawing showing 

 how the Virginia woiuen made ])asketry the woman is seated in pre- 

 cisely the same fashion and is working from below upward. 



Plate 140 represents old twined 

 wallets of the Haida Indians, Queen 

 Charlotte Island, British Columbia. 

 The material is splints of spruce, 

 some of which have been dyed sim- 

 ply by immersing in dark-colored 

 mud. The Haidas used little color 

 decoration other than black bands 

 in their work, but they have learned 

 the art of producing figures b}' in- 

 cluding more than Avarp element in 

 the twining. They also know the 

 art of three-strand twined work, as 

 will be seen on the upper border 

 of the two larger wallets. The 

 borders are finished off by false 

 embroidery. 



Plate 150 represents a compan}^ of Haida Indian basketmakers, pho- 

 tographed by J. G. Swan. They are in modern dress, but wear nose 

 ring and lal)ret common to their tribe. 



Fig. 118. 

 virginia indian woman weaving a basket. 



After W. H. Holmes. 



THE FRASER-COLTTMBIA REGION 



Basketry is the most expressive veliicle of tlie tribe's individualitv, Hie embodiment of its 

 mythology pnd folklore, tradition, poetry, art, and spiritual aspiration. — Neltje Blanchan. 



The next general area for study will be the drainage region of the 

 Eraser River and the Columbia River. The families to be visited will 

 be the Chimmeseyan, Wakashan or Aht, Salishan, Shahaptian, and 

 Chinookan. Other smaller groups are scattered around and will be 

 treated at the proper place in the text. The transition from south- 

 eastern Alaska to this area is almost imperceptible in some respects 

 and radical in others. The Tlinkit false embroidery will not disap- 

 pear, but it will be remanded to a far humbler place. The roots and 

 inner bark of the cedar will occupy the front rank. Coiled and imbri- 

 cated work, unknown among the Tlinkits and Haidas, will bloom out 

 in British Columbia and Washington. The semifiexible wallet will 

 be replaced Iw the rigid cooking basket and the soft bags of hemp. 

 The differentiation from the next area south of it will also be mai'ked. 



J 



