Boas] | PROPORTIONS OF BURDEN BASKETS 215 
ments, and gauged the rest altogether by eye or with splints. No. 
29 herself always measured the bottoms, especially for the length, 
taking this also for the approximate height of the sides. She gen- 
erally used the middle finger, and put the point down first, then 
joint after joint, to the knuckle. Besides such measurements, 
this group of informants used single joints, counting one, two, 
three, etc., and also the span, as well as the width of the hand, that 
of the fingers when lying close side by side, or single finger widths, 
counted in the same way as the joints. 
They declared that the bottom of a common tsi.’a should measure 
in length one span and one finger length, while the sides should be 
between that and two spans in height. 
No. 22 said she frequently measured, especially for the diameters 
of the bottom and the height of the walls. She did this with her 
fingers, in the same way as the others. According to her, women 
varied especially in the height selected. Her tsi.’a baskets were always 
two spans and two joints high, the length of bottom being a little less 
than this. The width of the bottom was half, or a little more than 
half, of the length. She said women varied in making the bottoms 
for tsi.’a or burden baskets. Some made them smaller, while others 
varied the proportions. A basket with a wider bottom should have 
a wider mouth, she thought. 
No. 25, apparently an expert basket maker,” said that the height 
was determined chiefly by the size and proportions of the bottom. 
She did not measure bottoms but judged by the eye. It became a 
habit to work by eye and she knew the approximate size for the 
bottom of any particular size and kind of basket. She thought per- 
haps she was especially expert regarding burden baskets. The 
common large burden basket was made in different sizes by different 
women. Apparently a ‘“‘size and shape” habit is acquired. Some 
women preferred smaller baskets than others, or made them a very 
little longer, wider, or higher, but all generally achieved the same 
shapes. Either by unconscious habit or by design they make the 
change of plane from bottom to sides very abrupt. No. 25 did not 
measure the sides until they were about half up, when she followed 
the very common method of gauging with the splint. 
An Upper Thompson informant (not a numbered one) stated that 
she had seen women measuring the bottoms of burden baskets with 
their hands. Some considered that the proper diameters for the 
bottoms of small burden baskets should correspond to the length 
and breadth of the hand. 
2 See appendix, p. 446, for her personal qualifications. 
53666°—28——15 
