BOAS] DESIGN ELEMENTS 257 
blances are in many instances so striking as to suggest themselves to 
anyone, in others they are so remote as to be recognized only after 
the interpretation has been given. The element so charged with 
representative significance is certainly far older than most of its 
connotations and certainly the supposition of its technical origin as 
a geometric figure is as capable of acceptance as that of its first 
introduction as a delineatory attempt which, by the conventionaliza- 
tion of form through stereotyped arrangement and repetition, has 
been reduced to the most unrecognizable and ‘“‘ geometrified”’ shapes. 
To return to the undeniably strong tendency of delineatory art 
which is used for decorative purposes to pass into conventional and 
then geometric form, which may be due to any of a number of causes, 
such as difficulty of execution in rigid technique, stereotyped and 
frequent repetition, increasing freedom in execution resulting often 
in omission of details not essential for the effect desired, and speed, 
which is most easily gained by curtailment of all but necessary 
details, it is not surprising that conventionalization might seem to 
be the fate of all representation utilized for decorative effect. There 
are several interesting instances of this process in a collection of 
sketches of imbricated birds and insects made by Mr. Teit. The 
eagle is shown in Sketches 804-806 in a surprisingly accurate fashion 
illustrating how much can be done, even in basketry, by painstaking 
care, attention to details, and a great expenditure of time and labor. 
Less perfect forms are shown in Sketches 706, 710, 716, and 717. 
In Sketch 707 the form is so far reduced that the head is missing. 
In Sketch 711 the tail has disappeared, and in Sketches 712 and 718 
both are wanting. In Sketch 713 the shape of the wings is retained 
but there is no-division indicating that there are two, while in Sketch 
708 the form is a mere rectangle. All of these figures are interpreted 
as eagles and all are still being made. 
The beaded ‘‘ butterfly’ designs shown in Figure 43, a (p. 236), were 
sonamed by anumber of women, among whom were two from Lytton 
and two from the Upper Uta’mqt, who called b and ¢ by the same 
term. They said that these patterns, including d, e, f, g, and h, 
were not ‘‘ Indian rice’ * designs, nor halves or fragments of them, 
nor were they “‘fly’’* patterns. They agreed that they might be 
called “spot” or “bead” designs because of their checked elements, 
but that their real name was ‘‘butterfly,’’ a name used also by the 
mothers and grandmothers of the women interviewed. People who 
designated them by any other term did so because they did not 
know any better. They are all old common figures and were used 
in embroidery on clothing as well as on baskets. There were many 
variations of the design, all called butterfly, of which only a few are 
shown in the figure. 
48 See p. 466, under ‘‘ mula.” 49 See p. 465. 
