370 COILED BASKETRY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA [erH. ANN. 41 
The strength of her argument lies in the fact that so many Lillooet 
patterns are ‘‘head”’ or ‘‘mouth”’ designs, and that it is with these 
particular devices that the ‘‘droppers” are most frequently used. If 
she is correct the droppers occupy nearly the proper position that 
tsené’ka designs would in relation to the head. 
The idea of droppers having once been adopted in some fashion 
or other, designs from other objects of similar form, similarly em- 
broidered, would rapidly be seized upon from which to borrow new 
conceptions for basketry decoration. 
In all these cases the remarks are more applicable to the Lillooet than 
to the Thompson. The Lillooet are quite as fond of “‘fly”’ patterns 
as the Thompson. Lillooet and Tlingit basketry designs have many 
points in common, especially the ‘‘droppers,”’ which the Thompson 
do not use at all. But whether the Lillooet or some other tribe 
originated imbrication and transferred to their baskets numerous 
designs from clothing, and particularly from quillwork, is not so im- 
portant as the apparent fact that it was done somewhere in this 
region, and that whoever first effected the transfer, the Thompson 
have given the art its highest development. In regard to the assump- 
tion that the transfer of technique and art was from quillwork and 
clothing to basketry rather than vice versa, it may be remarked that 
quillwork is known to be very ancient, and that these particular 
types of technique which have just been discussed are found from 
the Atlantic to the Pacific. On the other hand the imbrication of 
basketry is confined to a very small area, comparatively speaking. 
We know that the embroidery of clothing is more ancient than that 
of baskets, that beadwork superseded quillwork, that many Indian 
patterns are avowed representations of beads, and many others are 
frankly named old embroidery designs. 
While absolute dependence may not be placed on the assertions of 
the people themselves in regard to old-time customs, since memory, 
which is all that can be relied upon, fails sometimes even under the 
best conditions, it is interesting to compare the quillwork patterns 
with those employed on basketry which are called bead or embroidery 
designs. It is also instructive to study those which are thought to 
be ancient and which now are practically obsolete, or at least not in 
common use. It must be remembered that even work considered old 
by people with only tradition to rely upon may not be so very ancient. 
It will be noted that many of these old patterns (fig. 115) are pic- 
tures and are mostly executed in single outlines. Practically all of 
the obsolete ones are of this character. This does not mean to imply 
that these were the only ancient patterns used. Many others are still 
as popular as ever, in fact form the majority of designs still employed, 
and are purely geometric. The people say that the standard designs 
of the tribe are all old and include such patterns as ‘‘arrowhead,” 
