NELSON] BASKETS SLEDS 205 



with a center made from a piece of rawhide; the sides, built up of coils, 

 narrow inward to the top, where they are suddenly constricted to a 

 rolled rim surrounding the circular opening. The basket from the lower 

 Yukon shown in figure 4, plate LXXIV, has a Hat bottom with a cir 

 cular piece of rawhide in the center. A double strand of grass is twisted 

 into the woof between each of the coils on the sides, producing a 

 doubly ridged surface. The top has a slight rim around the central 

 opening. 



A toy basket from the lower Yukon (figure 5, plate LXXIV) has the 

 warp varied at intervals with grass cords passed around the surface, 

 about a third of an inch apart, in three parallel rows. These cords 

 consist of three strands, only one of which is woven into the warp, 

 leaving the remainder in relief on the surface. 



Figure G, plate LXXIV, shows a basket from St Michael. In this 

 specimen the coil starts from the center of the flat bottom; the sides 

 slope slightly outward and end at the upper edge without being con 

 stricted, forming a dish shape. Another basket from the coast of 

 Korton sound ha k s the usual flat bottom; the sides slope slightly out 

 ward, swell around the middle, and then are drawn in again toward 

 the top to form a rim around the opening. 



On the lower Yukon coiled baskets are made of spruce roots, which 

 form r .yery strong, rigid walls. They vary in form, but all have flat 

 bottoms. A basket of this* kind, from that locality (figure 2, plate 

 LXXIV), is roughly quadrate in form, with rounded corners. The sides 

 are nearly straight, but are constricted abruptly above, forming a 

 neck-like rim about an inch high, which surrounds the square opening 

 in the top. Another specimen, from Sledge island (figure 3, plate 

 LXXIV), is round in shape, with the sides slightly curved and constricted 

 above to a slightly flaring tip around the opening. 



The most elaborately finished specimen procured is shown in figure 

 12, plate LXXIV. This was obtained from the lower Yukon district. 

 It is round in shape, ^with slightly curving sides, which are constricted 

 abruptly to the neck of a slightly flaring rim. It has a flattened 

 conical top, which has two small sinew hinges, and is fastened in front 

 with sinew cords; a loop of the same material on the top forms the 

 handle, 



A &quot;housewife&quot; of woven grass, obtained on the lower Yukon, is 

 woven with open-work similar to the bags which have been described. 



TRAVEL, AND TRANSPORTATION 



SLEDS 



The Alaskan Eskimo of the mainland and on all the islands about 

 Bering strait, including St Lawrence island, use dogs and sleds for 

 winter traveling. Plate LXXV, from a photograph taken at St Michael, 

 represents a Malemut family ready to start on a journey. On the 



