ABORIGINAL AMERICAN BASKETRY. 465 



The eastern portion of northern C-alifornia, as before mentioned, is 

 laro-ely divided between the Palaihnilian, Yanan, and Pujunan ling'uistic 

 families. It might be easily supposed by one who had no knowledge 

 on the subject whatever, that the coiled basketry of the interior basin 

 w^ould obtrude itself here and either push backward the tri])es making 

 twined work, or at least the latter would be forced to a very subordi- 

 nate position. Dr. Roland B. Dixon has published in the American 

 Anthropologist, liut more extensively in the Bulletin of the American 

 Museum of Natural Histor3\'' the result of accurate studies in the 

 ])asketrv of the eastern tribes. The most extensive researches of Dr. 

 Dixon are on the basketry of the Maidu Indians described by Powers. 

 On Powell's linguistic map these Indians are assigned to the Pujunan 

 family. Their countr}^ lies east of the Sacramento River and extends 

 as far as the Nevada line, stretching north and south from the southern 

 line of Lassen and Tehama counties to the Consumne River. A number 

 of examples of Maidu basketry have already been described, and illus- 

 trated in Plates 56 and 57. The specimens are in the U. S. National 

 Museum. 



The body is either in splints of willow or other wood and a species 

 of root. At the time of this writing Mr. Coville was not quite sure as 

 to the species employed. The designs on the body of the basket are 

 in the splints of CercisoccidenUdis^ the l)ark and young shoots remain- 

 ing in place. An inspection of a number of Maidu baskets together 

 leaves the impression of distinct individuality. They ])elong to the 

 three-rod variety of coiled weaving and the sewing passes over the 

 foundation, under one of the rods of the foundation beneath, the stitches 

 interlocking. Frequently on the inside they split, which enables the 

 sewer to give each stitch on the outer surface a vertical position. The 

 material used in the sewing is hard and is not driven tight home, each 

 stitch being wide below and narrow above. After a study of one of 

 these specimens, its colors and patterns, the investigator will have no 

 trouble afterwards in identifying a Maidu basket. 



Dr. Dixon, who has given most attention to the lore in Maidu bas- 

 kets, divides the symbols into three classes, namely: Natural designs, 

 plant designs, and those representing natural or artificial o])jects. His 

 plates 1 to 17 are devoted exclusively to ^Vlaidu Ijasketry. Among 

 them will be seen a few in twined weaving, principally conical burden 

 ])askets. A comparison of these among themselves and also those of 

 the Pit River Indians and tribes living in the Sacramento Valley indi- 

 cate acculturation of some kind, borrowing ideas, or may be women, 

 ideas and all. A number of Maidu baskets in the U. S. National 

 Museum were collected by W. H. Holmes. 



A suggestion might be made in this connection that the so-called 



"Vol. XVII, pp. 1-32, 

 NAT MUS 1002 30 



