Boas] DESIGN FIELDS 229 
figures which may be aligned horizontally, diagonally, or vertically, to 
diagonals and spirals; in fact, to practically any type of decoration, 
even that which cuts the basket surface into two sections. All of 
these are found with the exception of the last. Vertical decoration, 
however, including stripes, is rather uncommon on these shapes. 
Flat tray forms are best adapted to designs which radiate from the 
center, and the Thompson recognize this very clearly. Most of the 
women express a preference for the radial arrangement of designs on 
flat round shapes (pls. 17, f; 44, e; 52, c; 54, ¢c), saying that those 
which “‘lay across’’ the field were not ‘‘good.’’ (See pl. 50, f.) By 
this they meant patterns which ignored the relation of the center of 
the circle or oval. 
They feel that certain patterns do not permit of satisfactory ad- 
justment on some lids and trays. Often in trunk-shaped baskets 
the design on the body is carried over to the lid and converges there, 
a treatment which makes its adaptation at times more or less diffi- 
cult (pl. 48,6). Circular bands are frequently used on trays (pl. 54, b). 
The women try to have the radiating portions of the design equidis- 
tant, but this is often difficult to do when working only by eye. 
BurvEN Baskets 
The rectangular burden basket offers an entirely different problem. 
Nevertheless many of the typical patterns of round baskets, such as 
horizontal bands, diagonals, and spirals, are used on the modified and 
rectangular shapes. Evidently such types of ornamentation have 
always been in existence on imbricated basketry. This corroborates 
the tradition that the burden baskets were formerly round and high, 
like the Klickitat baskets still manufactured. The Klickitat, who 
do not use the rectangular shapes, decorate many of their tall round 
burden baskets with wide horizontal zigzag bands which reach from 
the base nearly to the rim. 
Rectangular forms.—The Lillooet, Chilcotin, and Thompson Indians 
have all adopted the rectangular forms, and while other shapes are 
also produced, particularly by the Lytton band of the Thompson, the 
most interesting problems of decorative designs center around the 
burden baskets with their trapezoidal fields, and it is here that the 
most striking tribal differences are apparent, even though a certain 
degree of assimilation prevails owing to intertribal intercourse. The 
Thompson now possess several distinct styles, some of which are 
closely related to the typical patterns of the Lillooet and Chilcotin. 
A characterization of the Thompson style is made difficult also by the 
development of peculiarities among the various local bands. Broadly 
speaking, however, the products of the different tribes may be dis- 
tinguished by the arrangement of the design field. 
