194 COILED BASKETRY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA [ETH ANN. 41 
HANDLES 
Handles are likewise of late introduction but are very common at 
present, because they are most frequently added on fancy shapes 
for which there is a constantly increasing demand. 
The simplest kind are merely interstices left between the coils 
where the upper two or three are looped up slightly in the middle of 
LY AAR FS 
Fic 22.—Loops used as handles 
the wall, to make room for the fingers to enter between them and the 
coils below. Such openings are also made so that the basket may be 
suspended from a peg or by a rope. The number of coils so lifted or 
waved depends entirely on the judgment of the maker, who takes 
into consideration the size of the receptacle and the probable weight 
which it willsustain. For trays this type is the only kind of “ handle” 
——— Rim Rim 
————— 
7) G 
Fic. ya made of thongs 
used (fig. 22, a, b; pl. 28, d). The angular opening (c) is rather 
uncommon. When the loop is of a single coil, it is thickened in 
diameter (pl. 40, c). This type of handle is said to be very old. 
Certainly it is widely distributed through the Rocky Mountain 
Basin region. 
There are also loops, thongs, or lugs of cord or leather which are 
drawn between the coils, by means of holes bored by the awl and 
C2eM 
Fic. 24.—Types of handles 
tied at the ends with knots to prevent their pulling out. Various 
kinds are shown in the sketches of Figures 16 and 23. In the latter, 
a and a’ show the right and reverse sides of one variety; } and ¢, 
two other types. Lugs of iron and wire are modern and require no 
discussion here. 
Real handles of coiled work, attached to the rims or walls, are also 
manufactured, and these merit some attention. 
