ABORIGINAL BASKET-WORK. 303 



widening from the bottom towards the rim; in each of the spiral bands 

 a row of five men extends from midway in the basket to the upper 

 edge, their places below being taken by smaller patterns* (Figs. 49-65). 



Moki baskets. Of the seven Moki pueblos six speak the Ute lan 

 guage. It will not be surprising also to see them making similar 

 baskets. This is partly true and partly false. The Moki have both 

 coiled and plaited or twined baskets. Their twined baskets are few in 

 number. Their coiled baskets, except the water-bottles, are of a per 

 fectly unique pattern. In addition, they use one method of work com 

 mon enough in other parfs of the world, but thus far unknown west of 

 the Eocky Mountains. I speak of the common single-coiled osier or 

 splint employed by all eastern Indians and by the negro and white 

 basket-maker. The Moki also imitate the checker weaving of the Bella 

 Bellas, and the twilled weaving of the Olallams. 



The plaited ware of the Mokis are a few peach-baskets, made in the 

 same manner as the Ute hats, but there is enough dissimilarity of form 

 to give the Moki the credit of inventing this peculiar style (Figs. 66-79). 



The coiled and sewed ware, aside from the water-bottles and a few 

 bread-trays, which are evidences rather of barter than manufacture, de 

 mand our special attention. Among the Mokis and nowhere else, so far 

 as the Museum is concerned, except in Nubia, are to be found thick- 

 coiled baskets called sacred meal-trays, having about the concavity of 

 old fashioned pie-plates, and varying in diameter from a few inches to 

 over twenty. A bundle of grass or the nerves of the yucca leaf, from 

 half an inch to an inch in diameter, is coiled around and sewed with 

 strips of yucca leaf of uniform width, rarely exceeding the twelfth 

 of an inch. The thread is passed regularly around the coil, drawn 

 tightly, and passed between threads and through a few fibers of the 

 grass in the coil beneath. It is difficult to tell whether any pains is 

 taken to lock the threads of the coils or not. At first the coil is very 

 small and widens as the dish enlarges. These plates are all made to be 

 looked at inside, the coiling being invariably towards the left on the 

 upper surface. I have not seen one exception. True to this instinct, 

 when a Moki constructs a hat of the same material to please some white 

 man, he makes the convex of the hat correspond to the concave of his 

 tray, the outside of the hat being thus rough and the inside smooth. 

 The ornamentation of these trays is produced as follows : One side of 



[*NOTE. Says Dr. E. Palmer: "In Utah, Arizona, Southern California, and New 

 Mexico the Indians depend solely on the Rhus aromatica, var. tribola (squawberry) for 

 material out of which to make their baskets. It is far more durable and tougher 

 than the willow, which is not used by these Indians. The twigs are soaked in water 

 to soften them and to loosen the bark, which is scraped off by the females. The twigs 

 are then split by the use of the mouth and hands. Their baskets are built up by a 

 succession of small rolls of grass, over which these twigs are firmly and closely bound. 

 A bone awl is used to make the holes under the rim of the grass for the split twigs. 

 Baskets made thus are very durable, will hold water, and are often used to cook in, 

 hot stones being dropped in until the food is done." (Am. Nat. 1875, p. 598).] 



