Boas} GEOMETRIC FORMS 329 
If a woman’s attention is called to the fact that several interpreta- 
tions have been given to a design by others, and she is well informed 
on basketry in general, she frequently answers that the other names are 
also applicable, but that she knows the design chiefly by the name 
she has given it. According to Mr. Teit, there are a number of 
families among the upper Thompson who know only a few designs 
by name. When discussing others, they describe them in common 
geometrical terms. 
Of the two conditions, general shape, or surface treatment, the 
former is more frequently the determining factor in the perception of 
resemblances. It accounts for the general character of associations, 
and hence for the majority of names chosen. The surface treatment 
is more largely responsible for determining the names of particular 
surface patterns, regardless of the form of the design. 
The Thompson possess a general term for basketry designs: 
.ntcotcudistten, ‘“‘thing worked on the surface.’”’ (.n, on; ten thing. 
In compounds the suffix variously written -dist, -dst or -est SURFACE 
is employed in the sense of ‘‘pattern.’’ Tcoteu’ or tcetcdé’ means 
“worked,” “variegated,’’ and ‘‘ornamented,”’ and is applied to em- 
broidery or any similar decoration on almost any object, especially if 
it is wrought in colors.) 
Nicola informants say that they have two sorts of names for de- 
signs, the one applying to designs as a whole and the other to the 
parts which compose them. In addition a third term is applied to 
indicate the arrangement of the design on the basket. All of these 
may be used and indeed it is sometimes necessary for the sake of 
clearness that the three be given together. For example, a pattern 
may be called a star, because of its four-sided symmetrical form, but 
it may also be called spot, bead, or arrowhead because of the little fig- 
ures composing it. If several “‘stars”’ appear on the basket, the quali- 
fying phrase “connected up and down” may be required to indicate 
the method of arrangement. 
There are very many of these descriptive phrases. For instance, 
Sketch 402 is called ‘‘Indian rice (mula) design three around;”’ 
Sketches 399 and 400 are ‘‘Indian rice design two around,” referring 
to the number of rows around the central check. If the checks are 
larger or smaller than the average they are called big or little, while 
if they are not true squares they are described as ‘‘wide,”’ ‘‘narrow,” 
‘hich,’ ete. The list of Indian terms for design arrangements with 
the equivalent English expressions will serve to indicate how definite 
the people are in their characterizations. (See p. 400.) 
The question has been asked, ‘‘How definite an impression can 
one woman give to another of the exact pattern she intends to place 
upon her basket by means of the terminology at her command?” 
In answer to this it may be said that in the first place there are cer- 
