ABORIGINAL AMERICAN BASKETRY. 447 



uses !i imiltitiulc of functions for the Ilupa l);isket will ho (l(\scri))o(l in 

 dotail." 



Dr. W . L. .Icpson lias doterniined for Dr. V. E. (to<1(1:ii-(1 the mate- 

 rials used by Ilvipa in baskets. The burden l)asket, the baby basket, 

 and the salmon plate are made entirely of the shoots of ( 'oi'ijl nx was-- 

 tnifit var. cal !f(>rii!ca. Hupa name is nnlk-kai-kit-loi. These shoots 

 form foundation or warp of all other baskets except tlie finest hats and 

 the covered bottles. For these shoots of willow ar(» us(m1. of which 

 S'(fh'.i: sessUifoIld and aV. fiuvlatU'i x var. argijroplnjihi are indicated. 

 These willows are not connnon in Hupa Valley. The warp stems 

 while slimmer than those from the hazel, arc said not to be so durable. 

 They are fastened at the origin of the basket and at the ))eginning' of 

 the bodv by rounds twined with the root of certain deciduous trees. 

 This material is called indiscriminately " kut." The roots of the more 

 common willow as well as the two mentioned are used besides the root 

 of AlnnH oregaiKi, Vlfis c<dlfonh!ca and Populns trlcJiocarpd. The 

 principal weft of all close-woven baskets is composed of the root of 

 Coniferse. Of the trees o-rowino" in or near Hupa the roots of P'tntis 

 ponderosa, P. .'«ihi)ilana^ and P. honhertkoia are used. The selection 

 of the species and of the individual trees depends on their readiness to 

 split properh'. These roots are roasted in the ground. Resides these 

 the Hupa import from the coast, material from Stqiioia xem/pervirenn 

 and Plcea s/fchmsi!^. These root materials are called '' xai." The 

 root of the wild grape, V!tts cKliforrilcd^ is used in place of the con- 

 iferii? roots in tine hats for the woof. For decorative work the leaves 

 of XcropJii/lfnni tevd.i' serve for white, and the bark of the stems of 

 Adianiuia pcddfinii for black. A reddish brown is obtained ])y d,ye- 

 ing the inner part of the stem of Woodirord/a radicam^ with the bark 

 of Ahiiis oregiiJKi. The primitive method of dyeing was to chew the 

 bai-k and draw the splint through the mouth just ))eforc introducing 

 it into the woof. The alder dye is now sometimes applied b}^ steeping 

 in a dish but the results are said to be not so certain. Yellow is 

 obtained by dipping the leaves of XeroplujUHiii, femi.r, into a decoction 

 of Ercritla riiJphia. The setting of this dye is difficult and many 

 women do not use the yellow in basket making. Porcupine quills are 

 dyed with this lichen giving a brighter effect. Their use is not com- 

 mon. A few women are now employing the ""Oregon grape'' for 

 dyeing the xerophyllum leaves. Baskets are sometimes collected for 

 Hupa work which are made by the Tolowa in Del Norte County. 

 These have a steel-gray color obtained by dyeing the root of the tide- 

 land spruce with rusty iron. The root and iron are buried in the 

 damp ground for some time.'' 



«The Ray Collection from Hupa Valley, Smithsonian Report, 18S6, pp. 205-239. 

 ''P. E. Goddard, The Life and Culture of the Hupas. Publications of the Uni- 

 versity of California, I, 1903. Anthropology. 



