SWANTON] INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES 607 



different colors, very pretty" (Swanton, 1918, p. C8). A native in- 

 formant, however, gave me the following particulars regarding this 

 industry which I quote : 



They collected the canes and made baskets from them In winter because 

 cane is said to be too brittle in summer. The outside skins of the canes 

 which were to be used were split off by means of a knife made especially for 

 the purpose, and usually by the silversmith. Before the whites came it is 

 claimed that they skinned the cane "with a whetstone made of a piece of 

 hickory which had turned to rock." Canes were kept in stacks covered an 

 inch or two with water. After the skins had been removed they were made 

 into rolls of different sizes, selling about fifty yenrs ago for 25 cents to a 

 dollar. A 25-cent roll would make about three baskets, each holding four 

 quarts of meal. A basket of meal packed in this way was formerly sold for 

 25 cents, but now it brings from 50 cents to a dollar. They had both single- 

 woven baskets and double-woven baskets. The following names of baskets 

 were given me : 



Nandskr^ta tapushik, "a scrap basket." 



BAshpo apita, "knife basket." 



Shapo tapushik, the hamper carrying-basket, "load basket." 



Haiat nowa tapushik, dinner basket, "to walk holding basket," hand basket. 



Okhl"sh apita tapushik, "medicine basket," a basket with a division in it, two 

 lids and two handles. 



Okhi°sh ahoyo tapushik, "medicine gathering basket." 



Ufko tapushik, fanner, a basket for sifting com, etc. 



The word for a plait or weave is pana. A single weave, skipping one, is 

 pan a chafa, a double weave, skipping two, is pana tnkalo, a triple weave, 

 skipping three, pana tuchina. A double basket is called tapushik pothoma. 



A yellowish dye for baskets was obtained from puccoon or "coon" roots, 

 walnut was employed rather rarely to give a brownish color, and maple yielded 

 a dark purple. Roots were gathered in the fall when all the substance was in 

 them. They were boiled until the infusion was thick, when it was strained 

 and put into bottles. . . . Cane was wound into a coil and boiled in a round pot 

 containing the dye. It was turned over once unless the dye had taken hold 

 rapidly. Then it was removed, and hung up after the liquid had been carefully 

 shaken back into the pot. Sometimes they had pots of each of the three dyes in 

 use at the same time. (Swanton, 1931 a, pp. 40-41.) 



One of the surviving speakers of the Natchez language gave me 

 some notes on basketry which may, however, be equally applicable 

 to the Cherokee, among whom these people are living. He remem- 

 bered that they made a large conical carrying basket, a winnowing 

 basket, a sifter for flour, a sifter for grits, and trinket baskets. Some 

 baskets were made out of the roots of the buck bush which run along 

 the top of the ground. The root of the "dog-tail weed" (wa'cgup i'ci) 

 was employed in the concoction of a dark red, almost black, dye. A 

 black dye was also made out of the black walnut. Other dyes were 

 prepared by burning various fruits and roots, among them a 

 bright red dye, but the plant supplying it was scarce. My informant 

 did not know the name of it. 



^Du Pratz describes two varieties of cane, the shorter and harder 

 of which was used to make knives. The other 



