SOME DESERT INDIAN LORE 8i 



the berries of the sumac, Rhus ovata, or, when ob- 

 tainable, those of the manzanita (Arctostaphylos) of 

 the upper caiions, added to the water in the olla, 

 gave it a refreshing flavor. For society occasions a 

 "pink tea" effect could be obtained by serving a 

 decoction of ocotillo flowers. 



The vogue for Indian baskets that has arisen in 

 late years, quite justified by their beauty of shape 

 and design and their admirable workmanship, will 

 help to keep alive for a time this ancient and honor- 

 able craft. Many of the older women are wonder- 

 fully adept, but it is rare to find a young one who 

 has learned the art ; and there is, besides, a tendency 

 towards discarding the old traditional designs in 

 favor of wall-paper patterns or crude attempts at 

 realism. The woman whose introduction to the ocean 

 I described above is one of the best basket-makers I 

 "know, and I was pleased lately to find her giving her 

 little niece, eight or ten years old, a first lesson in 

 basketry. In even a small basket of fine weave there 

 may be ten thousand or more "stitches," so it was 

 not surprising that little Conchita was not enthusi- 

 astic. It was remarkable to meet recently an Indian 

 woman of certainly over eighty years who had 

 taught herself the craft in the last few years, and 

 whose baskets are marvels in design, color, and 

 texture. 



Pottery-making is now seldom practised among 

 these desert Indians. With the necessity for hand- 

 made utensils the art has almost ceased. I found 

 pottery still being made recently at San Ysidro, a 

 mountain village of the Cahuillas, and at Rincon, a 



