THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 



in which the Basket Makers differ from the Cliff people : at all 



events, the matter is worthy of further study. 



The baskets taken from the various caves of the Grand Gulch 



region, and shown for the first time in this case, form as complete 



a collection of pre-historic wickerwork as may be 

 Basketry. . J 



found in this country, and present a new field for the 



student of ancient weaves. All the large baskets were found 



with the Basket Makers. The Cliff Dwellers made baskets, and 



may have learned the art from these people, but most of their 



productions were small and unornamented. According to Mc- 



Loyd and Graham : ' ' The large flat baskets or platters have only 



been found in the underground rooms that have been mentioned." 



These large dishes or trays are well represented in the Museum 



exhibit. 



The Wetherill Collection. 



The northern half of the case is devoted to the material col- 

 lected by the Wetherill brothers and is the first collection of note 

 that came from the Grand Gulch country. The unique character 

 of many of these baskets would warrant a technical treatment, 

 and the weaves, materials, dyes and designs are all deserving of 

 a more detailed description than this account will permit. 



The baskets that claim attention when the case is first ap- 

 proached are the ones that cover the bodies. They are really 

 Burden burden baskets and, though used to cover the bodies 

 Baskets. after death, were not specifically mortuary baskets. 

 They are from three to four feet in diameter and are conical in 

 form. Some of them still retain their carrying cords and show 

 evidences of long use. As burden baskets they were no doubt 

 used in carrying wood, grain, fruits etc. They are of the coil 

 pattern and have the three-stick core. We find this form of 

 basket in use at the present time among the Apaches, Pah Utes 

 and most of the tribes of northern and central California. In 

 the modern tribes, however, almost all baskets of this shape are 

 of the bam tush weave, a weave in which the warp is perpen- 

 dicular instead of being in the form of a horizontal coil. 



The ornamentation here shown is angular and well defined, 



14 



