34 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 8/ 



SiKYATKI 



Culture horizon : Late Pueblo IVa. 



In the United States National AEuseuni there are specimens of 

 basketry from Sikyatki in three techniques : wicker, close coiling, and 

 twill-plaiting/ 



From the illustrations, the coiling is made on a bundle foundation 

 and sewn with yucca sewing thread. This identifies it with modern 

 Hopi coiling now made on Second ^Icsa. 



The technique of the wicker specimen is also identical with the 

 modern Hopi wickerwork now made on their mesa ( fig. i6). 



The twill-plaiting seems to be in too bad a condition to make out 

 details from the photograph. The piece may have been part of a 

 yucca-ring basket, such as are made today on Second Mesa ; or it may 

 be a piece of matting. In either case it seems similar to modern Hopi 

 work. 



Hopi (Moki) 



From Hopi, I have seen four coiled baskets, three of which are 

 bottle shapes, and one an oblong oval basket (boat-shaped) : 



U.S.N.M. No. 68473 (Mokis, J. W. Powell), not illustrated in Mason. Aleastire- 

 ments : total height 9I inches ; diameters, bottom SV inches, neck si inches, 

 mouth 7-4 inches ; 4? coils, 14 stitches per inch. Design in black and red. 



U.S.N.Af. No. 68474 (Mokis. J. W. Powell). Mason, pi. 214. third basket from 

 left in upper row ; also Mason, p. 502. Measurements : total height 7 inches : 

 diameters, bottom 7^ inches, neck 4-4 inches, mouth 54 inches. 4 coils, 12 

 stitches per inch. Design in red and black. 



A.M.N.H. No. 50/9579 (Hopi) ; in shape, size, and texture similar to the above. 

 No design discernible. 



IT.S.N.M. No. 68471 (Mokis, J. W. Powell). Mason, pi. 214, first basket a1 

 left in upper row ; and Mason, p. 502.^ Measurements : ,34 inches high : 

 diameters, bottom 9! inches, mouth y\ inches; 5^ coils, 13 stitches per 

 inch. No design discernible. 



All the above specimens are in Basket Maker type coiling ; two-rod- 

 and-bundle-triangular foundation (fig. 2), noninterlocking stitches, 

 convex work surface, clockwise spiral, worked to the left of the 

 worker (fig. ib). The American Museum specimen is made on the 

 concave surface past the bend (fig. la). then work is transferred to 

 the convex surface and proceeds thereafter from the outside (fig. 

 lb)' 



^ Mason, p. 509 and pis. 221, 222. 



^ Mason, p. 502, calls these two baskets .Stevenson's Zuiii collections ; this 

 disagrees with catalogue and specimens. Note that the photograph of U.S.N.M. 

 No. 68471 shows in white the designation as I have it. 



^ See also in reference to this change of work surface, .'Viner. Anthrop. vol. 32. 

 p. 486. The presence of both of these methods, viz., globular baskets worked 



