144 COILED BASKETRY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA [ETH. ANN. 41 
It seems that the manufacture of coiled work was related to the 
more or less plentiful occurrence of cedar and spruce, which furnish 
much of the necessary material. 
Among the Thompson the greatest number of baskets were made 
by the Uta’mqt or Lower Thompson people who live in the Fraser 
River Canyon. At this point, in the heart of the Cascade Moun- 
tains, the salmon fishing is best, and cedar of a good quality abounds. 
The Uta’mqt still continue to be the best basket makers of the entire 
tribe. 
Although the Uta’mqt dwell in a more favored region, the Ntlakya’- 
pamux’6’e (‘Real Thompson’’) of Lytton and the Stlaxai’ux" of the 
Fraser River Valley above Lytton who live in a more arid, barren 
country also produced baskets in considerable numbers. They were 
obliged to use spruce root occasionally in place of cedar, although 
the latter was preferred. Some was imported from the lower reaches 
of the river but probably the greater part of what they used was 
gathered along certain streams in the neighboring mountains to the 
west. The upper bands, especially those living near Lytton, still 
make a great number of baskets and have created many odd forms. 
The people cleverly reproduce in basketry many foreign or native 
objects. The Upper Thompson appear to have more designs and 
design names than the lower bands, although the latter are con- 
sidered to be the best basket makers and spend more time in this 
occupation. 
To the east of Lytton the country is still more arid and almost 
no cedar is obtainable. Even spruce is scarce excepting in parts of 
the high mountains. To the east of Thompson Siding, along 
Thompson and Nicola Rivers, the people make almost no baskets, 
although there are individual women here and there who make them, 
having obtained their materials from the Fraser River region. 
According to the uniform testimony of the old Indians the 
Stuwi’xemux" tribe (Athapascan) which formerly lived in the Nicola 
and Similkameen Valleys did not make any coiled basketry. To-day 
the people of the lower Nicola River and the Coldwater, among 
whom a number of Upper Uta’mqt and people from Lytton and 
Thompson Siding have settled, produce a fair quantity. They also 
procure their materials from the mountains to the west as well as 
from the Uta’mqt. The Similkameen people practice the art less 
than the Nicola. The Thompson River people procure what little 
material they use (practically all their cedar root and about half of 
their grass and bark) by purchase from the Uta’mqt and Lytton. 
The Cornwallis or Ashcroft bands, which are situated farther east, 
next to the Shuswap, make hardly any baskets. The P’kaist or 
Spaptsan just to the west of them also do not produce baskets except 
in rare instances. In this group the Spuzzum are probably most 
