340 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. VOL, XXXIV. 
hangs down in a very disorderly fashion, so that the constituent ele- 
ments can not be seen distinctly. Nevertheless a most painstaking 
arrangement of the component elements is adhered to, the rhythmic 
unit consisting of five elements,—one string having one glass bead and 
two bone beads in alternating order, one undecorated string, one hav- 
ing alternating glass and bone beads, one undecorated, and one hav- 
ing one glass bead and two bone beads in alternating order. I have 
found still more complex rhythmic repetitions and symmetrical ar- 
rangements on the embroidered borders of coats of the Koryak. 
These contained sometimes ten and more elements in one group.* 
Still another case of similar kind, from Peru, has been described by 
Mr. Mead.2 Here a rhythmic repetition of six units seems to be very 
common. 
I consider it particularly impertant to observe that in the first of 
these specimens the rhythmic repetition can not be seen when the 
leggings are in use, because this suggests strongly that the reason 
for the application of the rhythmic repetition is not the esthetic 
pleasure in the effect which it produces, but the pleasure felt by the 
maker. If this is true, then we do not need to assume that in the 
other cases a much more highly developed appreciation of complex 
rhythm is found among primitive people than the one we possess. 
Corroborative evidence in regard to this point is offered by the 
basketry of the Thompson and Lillooet Indians. I have noticed that 
here, where in a fine imbricated technique color bands are produced, 
the basket weavers tend to use with great regularity certain group- 
ines of the number of stitches belonging to each color, although, 
owing to the irregularity of the size of the stitches, these modifica- 
tions can hardly be observed.° If these facts have a wider applica- 
tion, it would seem that on the whole the pleasure given by much 
of the decorative work of primitive people must not be looked for 
in the beauty of the finished product, but rather in the enjoyment 
which the maker feels at his own cleverness in playing with the 
technical elements that he is using. In other words, one of the most 
important sources in the development of primitive decorative art 1s 
analogous to the pleasure that is given by the achievements of the 
virtuoso. 7 
Examples may also be given illustrating the effect of the play of 
imagination upon the development of design. One of the best ex- 
amples of this kind is offered by the decorated bag of the Thompson 
Indians illustrated by Professor Farrand.¢ The analogy of this 
soft rectangular bag, which is decorated with rows of large dia- 
“Publications of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, VI, pp. 689 et seq. 
‘Boas Anniversary Volume, pp. 193 et seq. 
¢ Publications of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, II, p. 206. 
Gilera, Jy, fall, sxooxanag, ies, al, 
