BOAs] PROPORTIONS OF BURDEN BASKETS 217 
1. This is declared to be a mark which defines the division between 
the sides and the bottom of the basket. 
2. It is considered as a marginal line for the design field or else a 
base line for the ornamentation, giving it a border. 
3. It is used as a mark to count the coils from or to measure from, 
in commencing designs, or to help the eye to note their position 
quickly. The height of the sides of the basket is also frequently meas- 
ured from this line by women who do measure, even though it is only 
a theoretical and 
seldom an actual 
bottom edge. 
4. It is also 
used to protect 
the basket from 
wear at this point, 
which is where 
burden baskets re- 
ceivethe most con- 
tact. Strangely 
enough this is the 
most common ex- 
planation, and 
some offer it as 
the only one. The 
third explanation 
ranks second in 
popularity, and 
the first is like- | 
wise common, 
while the second is 
ratherrare. Very 
few women give 
Petal 
all four reasons. is s, 
Having thus ob- a! fin) vod? 
tained an idea of ab 
what the makers Fia. 36.—Forms for Thompson baskets 
themselves regard as the working principles of basketry construction, 
it is highly instructive and interesting to see what are the actual pro- 
portions, and how nearly the makers come to accomplishing what they 
start out to do, and what are some of the fairly constant proportions 
which they do achieve without apparently being conscious of them as 
such. The following is based on observations of museum specimens. 
Roughly speaking, the burden baskets of the Thompson fall 
naturally into two not very strongly differentiated groups. A casual 
investigation will scarcely reveal this difference. The general im- 
pression is one of decidedly rectangular shapes, the sides longer than 
the ends, with rather small bases, flaring walls, and wide mouths, the 
