180 COILED BASKETRY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA [ern ann. 41 
when finished, flare more than the maker intended, but usually it is 
not enough to spoil it; and with an experienced woman who does 
good work such accidents rarely happen. 
When the sides are being built the bottom inclines toward the 
maker, the upper edge being the nearest. As the work progresses 
special care is taken to place each succeeding coil in the same rela- 
tion to the preceding one, so that none are too far out or in, for 
each must be perfectly aligned. Naturally practice aids materially, 
for beginners frequently have dents and bulges in the side walls of 
their baskets, not only because the coils are not placed evenly but 
also as a result of nonuniformity in their diameters, which creates 
waviness in a vertical direction (pl. 7, a, and the Chilcotin basket, 
fol Wf). 
Sometimes, as the basket nears completion, it will be seen that it is 
lower on one side than on the other, and it is then too late to correct 
the shape by increasing the diameter of each coil, thus gradually 
remedying the fault. The maker then has recourse to the expedient 
of splitting the coil near the rim, as the sewing approaches the low 
spot. From one coil she creates two of the same size, by working in 
additional splints, and the blemish is thereby rendered less notice- 
able than if one very large coil were used instead. The defect may 
also be remedied by tapermg down a coil and then beginning again 
with a wide coil which is adjusted so that the upper lime becomes 
straight (see pl. 7, c). 
No Thompson or Lillooet baskets were made with the ends higher 
than the sides, which was a common feature of Chilcotin work 
(pls. 7, 6; 8, a). Rather, every effort was put forth to secure an 
even height. 
A very peculiar feature in the structure of the side walls is brought 
out particularly well in the photographs, especially in those which 
show the bottom, such as Plates 3 and 4, and in many others which 
give the full view of a long side, but in which nevertheless a slight 
part of the right end may be seen. In these plates it is clearly shown 
that the corners of the side walls do not radiate from the bottom in 
straight lines as might be expected, but in curved lines running to the 
left in pinwheel fashion. Some baskets are so much awry that they 
appear to be very badly warped or at least to have been wrenched 
around to the left, while the bottom was held fast (pl. 4). Although 
this peculiarity is not noticeable in all cases, it is practically always 
present to a greater or less degree in Thompson baskets having corners. 
The reason is unknown, unless in working to the right and paying 
particular attention to the corners, quite justifiably when all the diffi- 
culties in decorating this part of the basket are understood, the 
workers unconsciously begin to turn a little ahead of time, each 
round. 
