THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 



the outer coil. From this point to the end of the coil is a little 

 more than an inch, and the finishing half of this portion is done 

 in the " herring-bone stitch." 



Inasmuch as all the other baskets on the shelves are of the 

 same form and general workmanship as those already described, 

 Sifter we will pass on to those on the floor of the case. Here 



Baskets. we find a type, shown on page 17, which is unusually 

 interesting. It is a sifter basket of the single-stick variety and 

 the weave is very peculiar. The basket is nine and one-half 

 inches in diameter and two inches deep. The fact that it is a 

 coiled basket makes it doubly worthy of notice. Sifter baskets 

 are found among the Apaches, Pimas, Pah Utes and Pomas of 

 the present day, which are, however, of the bam tush weave. 

 Open-stitch work is seen to-day among the Klikatats of Wash- 

 ington and in the Attu baskets of the Aleutian islands. This 

 basket is made of willow and is well preserved. It is not dec- 

 orated, but the stitch is a peculiar one and therefore lends a 

 charm that claims our attention. An examination of the spec- 

 imen, or even of the photograph, will serve to give a better idea 

 of the structure than could be gathered from a description. 



While considering the large baskets it may be well to ex- 

 amine those collected by McLoyd and Graham and then return 

 to the smaller specimens in the Wetherill collection. 



The McLoyd and Graham Collection. 



The McLoyd and Graham collection occupies the southern 

 half of the large case. The first specimen to be considered is the 

 second one from the right on the first, or bottom, shelf, and it 

 is probably the most beautiful example of pre-Columbian basket- 

 work in existence. The basket is of the three-stick weave, with 

 flat bottom and flaring sides, and is seventeen and one-half 

 inches in diameter and five inches in depth. The highly orna- 

 mental geometrical design, in black and dull reddish brown, 

 is illustrated on page 19. This basket, like many others, was 

 found buried with the body of a child which had been wrapped 

 in fur-cloth and deerskins. From the aesthetic standpoint, this 

 basket is a treasure, and its utilitarian value must have been 



