200 COILED BASKETRY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA [ETH. ANN. 41 
it passes. The bottom is just large enough so that the basket will 
remain upright when on the ground. The old people consider as 
awkward and impracticable conical baskets which can not stand up 
and must be transported on carrying frames, such as they have seen 
in pictures of the Pima and Papago Indians in the southwestern part 
of the United States. 
It seems quite certain that rounded forms were the earliest and 
that the rectangular ones have gradually superseded them, but that 
the extreme angularity noticeable in modern specimens is copied from 
the Lillooet, who have used these shapes for a long time. 
The Thompson greatly admire the Lillooet forms and in trying to 
improve their own styles surpass their models in extreme angularity, 
but fail to accomplish the ends they strive for because they still make 
the bottoms too large and the sides too low. 
The second size of burden basket, the tsi.he’tsa, is also an old 
type and varies little in shape from the large type, although according 
to a Nicola informant and his wife, who were partly of Thompson 
descent, this basket has a wider mouth in relation to its height. It 
serves as a berry basket or for carrying roots. When the women go 
out to gather roots, berries, or any other similar foods they often carry 
a large and a small basket, and when the latter is filled they empty the 
contents into the larger receptacle, and when this is full it is carried 
home, the little basket resting on top of the load. The tsi.he’tsa 
measures about 30 cm. in height; the mouth 35 by 45 em., and the 
base 18 by 22 cm. 
Young girls carry smaller baskets, and with them the spa’nék 
and spa’prnrk are popular. These range from 17 to 24 cm. in 
height, 16 by 22 to 25 by 35 em. for mouth dimensions, and 7 by 11.to 
11 by 23 em. for the base. ‘Their names merely denote differences in 
size. A few very small ones are made for little girls, and are used by 
them in play. Since they are quite as strong as other baskets, they 
are frequently pressed into service about the lodge, as dippers, scoops, 
etc. Burden baskets of almost any size were used when removing 
snow or earth. In the former case they were employed like shovels, 
but as the moving of earth or sand was a more arduous process which 
was likely to damage the basket the soil was first loosened and heaped 
up and then scooped into the large basket which lay on its side with 
the rim on a level with the bottom of the pile of earth, while it was 
steadied with the knee. 
Three loops of buckskin passed around three or four coils serve to hold 
the carrying strap. They are placed at both corners of the side which 
is intended to lie next to the back and in the center on the opposite side. 
The tump line passes through them and crosses on the back; the ends 
which are brought around in front of the person are tied. Methods 
of tying cords across the top of the load have been treated in the 
