S>tate Colkse of 'Mqritultuxt at Cornell Unibersfitp Sibaca, i?. i>. Xibrarp Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003597949 INDIAN BASKETRY. These p.iges .iie respecllully dedicated to OTIS T. MASON of iiic SniilhsoniLiii liistiUitiuii, 'whose conscientious liibois reveal hnw laige a debt the world owes to alioriirinal woman. Indian Basketry. WITH 160 ILLUSTRATIONS. SECOND EDITION REVISED AND ENLARGED By Geor(;e Wharton James AUTHOK OK IN AND AROUND THE GRAND CANYON— MISSIONS AND MISSION INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA— TOURISTS' GUIDE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA- PICTURESQUE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA— SCENIC MOUNT LOWE— NATURE SERMONS, ETC., ETC. I C)02 . Printed Privately for the Author, George Wharton James, pasadena, cal. •"•^ /■-' -r- ..9 r f .r^MONO BASKETS AND WOMAN WJTH CARRYIXG IIASKKT. CONTENTS Preface I. Introduction lo II. Basketry, the Mother of Pottery 17 III. Basketry in Indian Legend 22 IV. Basketry in Indian Ceremonial 3J V. Basket Making People 50 VI. Materials Used in Indian Basketry 72 VII. Colors in Indian Basketry 88 VIII. Weaves or Stitches of Indian Basketry 96 IX. Basket Forms and Designs; Their Origin and Relation to Art iig X. Some Uses of Indian Baskets 145 XI. Various Indian Baskets 169 XII. Symbolism of Indian Basketry 187 (a) Symbolism in Basketry Forms 191 (b) Developement of Symbolism in Basket Designs 194 (c) Imitation and Conventionalization 197 (d) The Birth and Developement of Geometrical Designs 201 (e) Diverse Meanings of Designs 206 (f ) Designs of Animal Origin 208 (g) Designs of Vegetable Origin 212 (h) Designs of Natural Origin 213 (i) Designs of Artifact Origin 215 (j) Baskets With Mixed Designs 216 XIII. The Poetry of Indian Basketry 218 XIV. Baskets to be Prized 224 XV. The Decadence of the Art 226 XVI. How the Art may be Preserved 229 XVII. Hints to the Collector 230 XVIII. Bibliography of Indian Basketry 232 Appendix 234 Index 270 IT. H *, ft ILLUSTRATIONS. Fig. Page. F Front, Mono Baslitts and Woman 15, with Carrying Basket 4 16 1. Havasupai Witli Kattiak 12 17 2. A Poma Basket Maker 9 ig, 3. Miss Kate Mabley's Collection — 11 20, 4. S. California Baskets 14 2I. 5. Choctaw Baskets of Cane 15 22, 6. Havasupai Roasting Tray 17 03. 7. Base-mould for Pottery 17 24, 8-9. Pottery Form.s IS 2."i. 10. Original Method of Making Pottery 18 ^e! 11. Base-mould for Coiled Pottery.... 19 -^i' 12. First Form of Vessel 19 28, 13. Secondary Form of Vessel 20 29, 14. Finished Vessel 20 30. ig. Page. Baskets. Coll. of W. D. Campbell.. 21 Indian Baby Basket 22 Cradle of Nevada Utes 32 19. Hopi Basket and Weave 24 Paiuti Water Bottle 24 Carrying Basket of Hopis 25 Hopi Basket of Yucca 26 Apache Basket Bottle 2S Poma Conical Basket 28 Havasupai Making Basket 29 Poma Pounding Acorns 30 Sacred Baskets of Navahoes, etc.. 32 Yokut Baskets (Plimpton Coll.)... 32 Navaho Sacred Basket 34 Circle of Meal 35 Kig. I'age. Kig-. 31. Antelope Altar 38 109. 32. Do.. Showing Kohonino Ba.skct... 39 llrt. 33. Praying at Shrine 39 111. 34. Hopi Basket (Spider \Yeb) 40 112. .35. Hopi Sacred Plaque 40 113. 3C. Sprinkling Snakes With Meal 41 114. 37. Baisket Throwers 43 115. 35. Priest Handing Offerings 43 117. 39. Dance of Basket Bearers 45 US. 40. Strug.ele for Baskets 45 119. 41. Yolo Ceremonial Basket 46 120. 42. Saboba Basket Maker 49 121, 43. Haida "Weaver 51 122. 44. Bottle-neck Ba.skct 4S v.;::a. 45-46. Alaska Baskets (Plimpton Coll.) 52 47. Washington A\'ea\-er 54 123. 4.S. Jlono Wea\-cr 54 124. 49. Washington Weaver 55 125. 50. (")inamental I'nma Baskets 56 126. .51. Fine Poma Basket 56 127-8- 52. Yokut Basket (Plimpton Coll.).... 6.S 130. .53. Poma Basket (Plimpton Coll.) 58 131. 54. Cahiilla Basket Maker 60 132. 55. Merced Nolasfpiez 60 133. 56. Dat-so-la-lee («'ashoe) 62 134. .57. Baskets CBurnell Coll.) 64 135-6- 5S. Yoknt Baskets (McLeod Coll.).... 64 13S. 59. Oraibi Basket Maker 65 139. 60. Hopi Yucca Basket 65 110. 61. Hopi Sacred Plaque 65 141. 62. AVallapai Basket Maker 66 142. 63. Chemehuevi Basket 66 143. 64. Menominis "\A'ea-\-ing Mat 68 144. 65. Elm Splints 67 145-6. 66. Club or Mallet 67 147. 67. Menomini Kuife 69 148. 68. (.'oil of Splints 69 149. 69. Finished Menomini Basket 67 160. 69a. Yokut Girl Wea\-ers 70 151. 70. Cahuillas Collecting Material 71 152. 71. Slipper Form of Baby Cradle 70 ]f,3. 72. Cahuilla Coiled Baskets, etc 73 154. 73. Fine California Baskets 74 155. 74. Portion of the Plimpton (_'oll 75 156, 75. Apache and Pima Baskets 76 157. 7(;-77. Poma Baskets (Plimpton Coll.) 7,^ 1.58. 7x. Klamath Tray, etc 7? 159. 70. Yokut and Poma Baskets I60. (Campbell Coll.) SO ](-;i-2 SO. Yokut Dance and Other Baskets ,82 )•;?,, Si. Hopi and Havasupai Baskets 83 ]i;4. ,82. Apache and Pima Bowls, etc 84 ]65. 83-84. Bone Awls S6 166, 85. Oraibi Yucca Basket 87 -piv. 86. Yokut Basket 92 ](;7a. S7. Yokut Basket (Plimpton (Joll.).... 92 SS. Pshu Kan. or Fish Net 94 168, SO. Bam-tush \\'eave 95 WJ. 90. Eam-Tush (Jranary and 170, Shi-Bii Tray 97 171, 91. North Coast Hasket 97 172, 92. Shu-Set and Ti Weaves 98 173, 93. Poma Basket Material 99 174. 94. Baskets in Wilcomb Collection.. 100 175, 95. Shi-Bu Weaves loO 176, 96. Poma Shi-Bu 101 97. Poma Tsai and Bam-tsu-wu 102 li7-s 98 to 102. Poma (irnamental Shibu... 103 180-1, 103. Yokut, 1^'oma and 1S2- Kel Ri\er Baskets,, 104 1.85- 101. Pauma Granary, etc 105 IS'S- 105. Apache Basket (Plimpton Coll.).. 106 19o- 106. Apache AVater Bottle 106 193- 107. Hopi Weaver 108 196- 108. Kuch-ye-amp-si, Hopi Weaver... 109 lOS, Page. Inch Weave of 1-lopi Tray 110 Basket and Lid from Egypt Ill Square Inch of Fig. 110 110 [Tnornamented Oraibi Plaque 112 One Inch of Fig. 112 112 Oraibi Sacred Meal Tray 113 Hopi Carrying Basket 114 Zuni Carr>'ing Basket 115 Seminole Basket 115 Washoe Basket 116 Pima Basket (Plimpton Coll.) — 117 (.'alifornia Basket (do.) 117 So'n Cal. Basket, Tsed as Drum US llnttle-Neck Basket. (McLeod Col- li ctionl 118 Southern California Baskets 119 Pueblo Sleeping Mat 120 Havasupai Water I-lottle 120 Yakima Basket 121 -9. Simple Weaves (One Color)... 122 Herring Bone Effect 123 Klaboration, Herring Bone Effect 123 I-'eru\'ian Work Basket 124 Simple Twined AVeave 123 Clallam Carrying Basket 125 7. N'arious Surface Effects 126 Oiien Work Tray (Klamath) 127 Klamath Carrying Basket 127 Simple Reticulated Weave 12S Simple Variation.s 128 Further Variation 128 Apache Basket With Pendants... 129 Cal. Basket AVith Pendants 129 I'se of Colored Strands 130 Isolated Figures 130 Alternations of Fillets 131 (.Conventional Human Figures 131 Base of Coiled Basket 132 Coileil Northwest Basket 132 Yokut Basket 133 Pima Basket 133 Pima Coiled Basket 134 I\lc(_'loud Carrying Basket 136 •Apache Coiled Basket 135 (Jr.aibi Sacred Tray 136. Oraibi Do 137 Light Fillets A^'rappcd 13S Klamath Work 13S Ornamental (^'alifornia Baskets 139 ' 'onvcntional Figures 140 I'^igures on Yokut Basket 139 Human Figure on Orail^i Tray... 140 Figure of Bird on Hopi Tray 142 I>o, on (Jraibi Tray 142 Yokut AA'oman Carrviug Load of Fruit 143 Tule AA'eaver Using Sifter 144 Granaries of S, (.';(l, Indians 144 Cahuilla, Saboba, etc.. Baskets.. 145 Primiti^■e Fish AA'eir 146 Pasket of Thomjison Indians 147 I'. una \A'ith AA'ood Basket 14S Zuni Toy Cradle and Doll 149 I'oma Mother With child 150- IVinia A'Voman With Carrying Basket 150 -9. I-Iiiiia Cradle Basket 151 . P,vramid I^ake I'te Cradle l-d -4. Hopi AVicker Cradles 152 -7, Siamese Carrying Basket 153 , ('arrying Basket of Arikarecs.. 153 -2. C'hoctaw^ Carrying Basket 154 -5. ('Vmical Carrying Basket 154 . Mc Cloud Do 1.55 Poma ("'arrying Wood 15(> ■t'lg. -fage. Fig. 199. Hiipa Forehead I'ad 165 289. 200-1-2. Paluti Seed Basket and Wand 156 290. 203. Washoe Water Bottle 157 291. 204. Wasnoe Pood Basket 15'/ 292. 205-fi. Carrying- Nets 158 293-4 207-S. Apache Carrying Basket 157 295. 209-10. Hopi or Zuni Carrying Crate... 159 211-12. Diegeno Carrying Basket 169 296. 213-14. Mohave Carrying Basket 160 297. 215. Congo Carrying Basket 161 29S. 216. Zuni Basket Water Bottle 161 299. 217. Navaho Do 160 300. 218. Havasupai Boiling Basket 162 301. 219-20-21. Manufacture ot Spirally 302. Coiled Weaves 162 303. 222. Method of Making Ha^'asupai 3i)4. Water Bottles 163 305. 223-4. Pueblo Carrying Mats 163 306. 225. Csing Do 163 307. 226. Hopi House Interior 164 30,S. 227. Saucer Shaped Basket 165 309. 228. Ornamented Apache Bowl 166 flo. 229-30. Point Barrow Baskets 167 -Jl; 231. Barge Granary 16S :i|r 232. Klamath Twined Basket 169 ai4; 233. Square Inch ot Fig. 232 170 31.5. 234. Hooclinom Coiled Basket 171 316. 235. Square Inch of 234 170 317. 236. Yokut Basket Bowl 171 '^^^' 237. Cahuilla Do 173 ;.;),':'■ 238. Square Inch ot Pig. 237 172 :,';.[■ 239. Inside View of Fig. 237 174 ■^f'-_^' 240. Cahuilla Basket Bowl 174 323'. 241. Coiled Jar (Zuni) 173 324. 242. Square Inch of Fig. 241 175 325. 243. Pima Basket Bowl 176 :™- 244. Pima Basket (Lightning Symbols) 176 r'- 246. Do. (Greek Design) 175 n.";," 246. Apache Basket Bowl 177 "Vd; 247. Garotero Apache Bowl 177 331. 248. Paluti Mush Basket 177 332, 249. Paiuti Basket 178" 333. 250. nte Basket Hat 179 ^■ 251. S(iuare Inch of Fig. 250 17S i^^. 252. Paiiiti Roasting Tray ISO ■""■ 253. Paiuti Carrying Basket ISO 337. 254. Paiuti Harvesting Wand 181 255. Makah Basketry 181 33x. 256-7-8. Makah Bottle Basket 1S2 259. Clallam Bird Cage Weave 183 "■'•^■ 260. Clallam Carrying Basket 184 .,_^^-^ 261. Square Inch of Pig. 260 183 34^" 262. Makah Trinket Basket 1S4 343, 263. Square Inch of Fig. 262 185 344. 264. Angola Carrying Crate 1S5 345. 265. Haida Hat 185 266. Do 1S6 :;][:■ 267. Do., Before Painting 186 :.^,- 268. Basket I'sed in Dice Games 1,85 269. Do 223 3.-11. 270. Tokut Heart-Shaped Basket 188 351. 271. Baskets Depicting Human Al Figures 18S -^z- 2T2. S. Cal. Baskets 190 ■:;^'^ 273. Cahuilla Baskets 190 '"' ' 274. Baskets Spoiled by Vicious or-, Imitation 192 275. Yokut Basket with Crosses 192 3.56. 276-7-8. Typical Basket Decorations.. 193 3.i7. 279-280. Do 195 ., 281-282. Pottery Designs 196 ■"'' ' 284. Pottery Design from Basketry... 198 jr,;, 285-6. Salish Design 19S 287. Hartt's Fret Theory 199 300. 2S8. Hartt's Scroll Theory 202 361. Page. Scrolls on Pottery 199 Pottery Scroll on Basketry 202 Fret of Pottery 199 I-Iavasupai Design 203 Amazon Fret and Zigzag 203 Geometrical Spiral on Apache Basket 204 Do. on Pottery | 205 Baskets in Campbell Collection.. 207 Salish Basketry 207 Salish Basketry 208 Tree and Branch Design 20S Mescal Design 208 Fisll and Leaf Design 208 AYorm Track Design 208 Da-sc-la-le's Masterpiece 209 Prietic Saboba Design 217 Design of Flying Bats 217 .Ramona and Star Basket 221 Wainwright Collection 221 Pish Teeth Design 231 Earthworm Design 234 Quail Design 236 Flying Geese Design 235 Duck's Wing D'esign 236 jNIillipede Design 236 Raccoon Design 236 Grasshopper Design 236 Kve Design 237 FloWFr Design 237 Brake Design 238 Brake Design 238 Vine Design 23S Pine Cone Design 238 Bush Design 239 Feather Design 239 Feather Design 240 Featlrer Design 239 Feather Design 2411 Arrow Point Design 240 Arrow Point Design 241 Mountains and Clouds Di-'sign.. 241 Cahuilla Weaver 242 Pima Weaver 243 Pima Baskets (Benham Coll.)... 243 Apache Baskets (Benham Coll.) 245 Apache Basket (Benham Coll.) 245 Pima, Apache and Paiuti Baskets (Benham Coll.i 246 ^'arious Baskets in Benham Coll 246 Baskets (mostly C>rail)i) (Benham Coll.i 246 California 11asl-:ets (Benham Coll.i 24S Dat-so-la-le 248 Mono Flour Sifters 252 Mono Baskets 253 Mono :\Iush Baskets 252 Mnni> Haskets (Rattlrsnakc Design) 254 Hill Collection 266 Aleut Baskets (Prohman Cnll.i.. 258 Yakutat Baskets (Prohman Coll.) 260 (.'alif. Baskets il'^ruhnum Coll.i.. 262 Vokut. Klikitat, Haida ami eut Baskets (Prohman ('(.11.) 2lB Potlach Hats (Prohman Coll.)... 262 Klikitat V\'ea\'ers S Skokomisli Baskets (Frolimau Coll.) 264 q^hompson River I3askets (Frohman Coll.) 264 Baby Baskets 2I» A^arious Baskets (Frohman Coll.) 265 t"'alifornia Baskets (Frohman Coll.i 266 "S^arioas Baskets (I^^rohman Coll.) 268 Mehesv's Store 277 Mehes\-'s Store 279 PREFACE. What would be the civihzed man of to-day without the art of weaving — the so'ft art that surrounds his home with comforts and his hfe with luxuries? Kay he deems them necessities. Could he do without his woven woollen or cotton underwear, his woven socks, his woven clothing? Where would be his bed linen and blankets, his carpets, his curtains, his portieres ? His every day life is so inti- mately associated with weaving that he has ceased to think about it, and yet it is all owing to the work of primitive, aboriginal woman that he is thus favored. For there is not a weave of any kind, no matter how intricate or involved, that the finest looms of England or America produce to-day under the direction of the highest mechanical genius, that was not handed down to us, not in crude form, but as perfect as we now find it, by our savage ancestry in their basketry and kindred work. FIG. 2. A POMA BASKET MAKER AT WORK. Interest in the arts and industries of our aboriginal tribes has grown so rapidly in recent years, that whereas, twenty years ago, illustrative collections of the products of these arts and industries were confined to the museums of scientific societies, to-day they are to be found in scores of private homes. This popular mterest has created a demand for knowledge as to the peoples whose arts these collections illustrate, and of the customs, — social, tribal, medicinal, religious, — in which the products of their arts are used. One of the most common and useful of the domestic arts of the Amerind* is that of basketry. It is primitive in the extreme, is uni- versal, both as to time and location, and as far as we know has changed comparativelv little since the days of its introduction. It touches the *This is a new coinage by Major ]. W. Powell, of the U. of Ethnology, to designate tlie North .Aimerican aborigine. S. Bureau 10 IXDIAX BASKETKY. Amerind at all points of his life from the cradle to the grave, and its prutkicts are used in ever)- function, domestic, social and religious, of bis simple ci\'ilization. Til give a little of such knowledge as the intelligent collector of Indian baskets desires to possess is the purpose of this unpretentious l.uuk. Its field is limited to the Indians of the South-west, the Pacific States and Alaska. It is an incomplete pioneer in an unoccupied field of popular literature, and later writers will doubtless be able to add mucii, and correct more. It is the result of twenty years persona! oljservation and_ stuch' anieuig the Indians of our South-west, much correspondence and questioning' of authorities, and the reading and euiling from every known source of informatiun. Everything that I could find that seemed reliable has been taxed. Necessarily, no one individual could possibly describe, with accuracy, the basketry ot this extensiv-: territor}' unless be were prepared to travel over the vast regions of tlie Xorth-west and South-west, and personally visit each tril-e of basket-makers, watch them gather the grasses, collect the d^■es, prepare both, for use, (l}'e the materials, and go through all the labor of weaving, tlien study the s_\'nibolism of the designs, learn ad about the ancient methinls of manufacture, and, finally, visit all famil)-, social and ceremonial functions where Ijaskets are used. Hence, it is e\-ident that such a work must l)e, as this confessedly is. largci)- a com]iilation. If co'iiectois find it at all helpful or suggestive; if it aids in popu larizing knowledge on these interesting ])roducts of our aboriginal peojiles, and leads to a study of the peoples themselves I shall be more than repaid for the time and labor expended in its production. For material aid, I wish most cordiallv to thank Alajor J. W. Powell, Dr. J. Walter Fewkes and Profes.sor I-. W. Hodge, of the V. S. lUircau of Ethnolog}', and the Hon. S. P. Langlc\', i'rofessors Otis T. ^lason, VV. H. Holmes and Dr. Walter Hough, of the Smith- sonian Institution, together with Dr. J. W. Hudson, of LTkiah, Cal., and Rev. W. C. Curtis, ot Xorwalk, Conn. Tlie engravings of the Government ba\'e been placed at my disposal, and mam- of the detailed descriptions of the Ijaskets are taken verbatim from Professor Mason's papers \vhich appear in the reports of the Smithsonian Institution. My thanks are also extended to Mr. W. W. Newell, of the American F""olk i.ore Societ)', Dr. J. PI. Kellogg, Editor of Good Health, Apple- ton's Popular Science Monthly, and the Traveler, San Francisco, for the use of cuts and especially to F. S. Plim])ton, Esq., of San Diego. Cal., who has kindly made it possible for me to illustrate several most interesting specimens of his excellent collection. PASADENA, CALIFORNIA. INTllODUCTION. II CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. A few hundred years ago our own ancestors were "aljorigines," — they wore skins for clothes ; wove Ijaskets ; Hved in wicker and skin huts or in caves; ate nuts, herbs, acorns, roots and depended upon the fortunes of tlie chase for their meats, just as the Amerind of the present and past generations are doing and have done. Hence, as Indian baskets are woven b\' human Ijeings, akin to ourselves, and are used by them in a variety of relations of intensely human interest, we are studying humanity under its earliest and simplest phases, — such phases as were probably manifested in our (jwn ancestral history — when we intelligently study Indian l')asketr\-. The earliest vessel's used' by mankind undoubtedly were shells, broken gourds or other natural receptacles that oresentcd them^eh'es FIG. 3. COLIjKCTiON Ol'' MiBS ixAili MAblji'^i Ub' JJJDTKOiT. MADE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. opportunely to the needs of the aljorigine. As his intelligence grew and he moved from ])lace to place, the gourd as a receptacle for water when he crossed the hot and desert regions Ijecame a necessary com- panion. But accidents cloulitless would happen to the fragile vessel and then th.e suggestion of strengthening it by means of fiber nets arose and the first step towards basket-making was taken. It is easy INDIAN BASIiRTKV w M m \ side with the products of the savage woman's art and skill. Every lo\-er (jf betuitifiil \\"ork, of artistic form, beautiful design and delicate color cannot fail lo lie struck with the highest admiration at the sight of the Ititter, while the former are tolerated only for their usefulness. To ihe uninitiated a fine Indian basket may posses a few exterior attrtictions. such as shapely form, delicate color and harmonious design, but an_\'thing further he cannot see. On the other hand the initiated sees a work of lo\e ; a stri\'ing after the ideal ; a reverent propitiation of supernatural powers, good or evil ; a nation's art ex- pression, a people's inner life of poetry, art, religion; and thus he comes to a closer knowledge of the people it represents, a deeper sympathy with them ; a fuller recognition of the oneness of human life, though under so many and diverse manifestations. Fine baskets, to the older Indian women, were their poems, their paintings, their sculpture, their cathedrals, their music; and the civilized world is just learning the first lessons of the ahoriginal melodies and harmonies in these wicker-work masterpieces.. What Victor Hugo strikingly expressed about the cathedrals of Europe when he exclaimed "The book has killed the building!" could be truthfully applied to the Indian in the expression "Civilization has killed the basket." For as the Indian woman finds that she can purchase for a few cents the pans, pots and kettles used by her civilized sister she loses the desire to spend weary days, and even months, in making the liaskets, which, in the past, served alone as her domestic utensils. Consequently basket making as a fine art among the aborigines is rapidly dying out. True, there are still many baskets made, and on a recent trip to the Fligh Sierras of California I found a number of first-class basket makers at work, and, more pleasing still, some of the young girls were learning the art. But in almost every case the basket maker of to-day is dominated by a rude commer- cialism rather than by the desire to make a basket which shall be her best prized household treasure as the highest expression of which she is capable of the art instinct within her. Hence the rage for old baskets. A true collector does not wish a basket made to sell, and as the old baskets were comparatively limited in number, the oppor- tunity to secure them is rapidly passing away, if it has not already disappeared. By this, of course, I do' not mean that old baskets may not l)e purchased. Collections now and then are for sale, which are rich in rare old specimens of the weaver's art; and occasionally, but, now, alas, very occasionally, the indefati.gable collector may pick up an ancient basket in some far-away Indian hut. BASKETRY THE MOTHER OF POTTERY. 17 CHAPTER II. BASKETRY THE MOTHER OF POTTERY. That the art of basketry antedates the art of pottery is generally conceded. In an interesting monograph published in the reports of the Bureau of Ethnology, Mr. Gushing urges that pottery was sug- FIG. 6. HAVASUPAI CLAY-LTNED ROASTING-TRAl'. gested by the clay lined basketry of the Havasupai Indians in Arizona. In 1887, when he visited them, he found them doing the cooking of their seeds, mush, meat, etc., in wicker baskets lined with sandy clay, and thus describes the method followed: FTG. 7 BASKET-P,OWL AS BASE-MOULD FOR POTTERY. "A round basket tray, either loosely or closely woven, is evidently coated inside with clay, into which has been kneaded a very large i8 INDIAN BASKETRY. proportion oi sand, to prevent contraction and consequent cracking frcini dr\-ing. 'L'his lining of clay is pressed into the basket as closely as possible with hands, and then allowed to dry. See l'''ig. b. The tra}- is thus made ready for use. The seeds or other substances to be parched are placed inside of it. together with a quantity of glowing \\o(.)(l coals. The operator, quickly squatting, grasps the tray at opposite edges, and by a ra]jitl spiral nioti(jn up and down, succeeds in keeping the seeds and coals constantly shifting places, and turning over as the) dance after one another around and around the tra\-, mean- while blowing or puffing the embers with every breath to keep them free from ashes and glowing at their hottest." A few years later when I made my first \dsits to the Havasupais I found the same methods still in vogue. It is readily apparent that the constant heating of the clay lining would cause it to grow hard, and instances would occur when it would become detached from the wicker work and a [)erfect earthen roasting vessel be produced. The occasional production of such a vessel, suitable in all ways and for all uses in cookery, would suggest the manufacture of similar serviceable utensils. Professor Holmes says: "The clay vessel is an intruder, and usurps the place and appropriates the dress of its predecessor in wicker. The forms illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 are clay forms, common with South Western Indians, and are undoubtedly taken from l)asketry shapes as illustrated in the water bottles and carrying baskets, shown elsewhere." That basketr_\' was intimately connected with two distinct methods of pottery-making is pr'jven hx the clearest evidence In tlic Miss- i^^ippi \'alle>", in Arizona, New Mexico and elsevvliere in the United States thousanfU of pieces of potter\' have been found which umnis- takabl}" show that the soft clay was modelled around the outside or within some basket form which gave the shape of the vessel. In all the museums these specimens of pottery may be found. It will be observed in studying theni that the\- liear far more impressions of baskctr}' and other textile arts than of natural objects, such as gourds, shells, etc. It is also obser\able that every basketry stitch or pattern known to the aborigines is found in tlicse potterv impressions. Hence the natural inferences that basketrv antedates pottery, and that the art of basket-making was in an advanced stage whilst ])ottcry was still in its infancy How fascinating the work of the antiquarian and archaeologist. To pick up even the fragments of the pottery of a long past age, brush off the accunudatcfl dirt and read thereupon the relation its manu- HASKE'I'KY THE MOTHEK OF POTTERY. 19 facture bore to a sister art, and then, slowly but surely, to decipher every method followed by primitive artist ; to tell how spinner, weaver, net maker worked, and with what materials, and then to discover that every stitch of plain weaving, diaoer weaving, twined weaving and coiled weaving known to modern art was used by these ignorant and savage people of the dark ages. Mr. Gushing thus describes the process of manufacture as he saw it carried on, and as I have seen it again and again, at Znni, Laguna, Acoma and the Hopi pueblos. Forming a rope of soft clay, she coiled it upon a center, to form the bottom. Placing it U])on an inverted food-basket, bowl-shaped, she pressed the coils of clay closel}' together, one upon the other (Fig, 10), and as soon as the desired size was attained, loosened the bowl from the basket and thus provided herself with a new utensil. In conse- (|uence of the difficulty exporienced in removing these bowl-forms from the bottom of the baskets — which had to be done while thev were still plastic, to keep them from cracking — they were very shallow. Hence the specimens found among the older ruins and graves are not only corrug-ated outside, but are also very wide in proportion to their height. FIG. 11. BASKET BASE MOLD FOR COILED POTTERY. pic;. 1:;. FIRST FORM OF THE VESSEL. The Other primitive method followed was one that is still practiced by all the pottery makers of the South-west. It is an imitation of basketry methods; not a moulding upon baskets, but an application of coiled methods of weaving to the manufacture of pottery. Just as the basket weaver wraps one coil upon another, so does the pottery maker take her rope of clay and coil it up as shown in Fig. 1 1 . By and by the desire for ornamentation of pottery arose, and from this sprang the discovery of the fact that, while the clay was plastic, the exterior of the vessel could be smoothed with a spatula of bone or gourd, no matter what its size, if supported at the bottom in a basket or other mold so that it could be shifted or turned about without direct handling. See Fi,g. 7. To smooth such a vessel inside and out rccfuired that it have a wide mouth, but, by and by, the potter determined that the mouth must be contracted as much water was spilled in carrying the full olla from the spring or river to the house. She still used the basket as a base for her pottery as shown in Fig. 12, and to this desire for a small mouthecl olla Gushing claims we owe the beautiful shape of Fig. 13. 20 INDIAN BASKETRY. He says : "One of tlie consequences of all this was that when large they could not be stroked inside, as the shoulders or uttermost upper peripheries of the vessel could not be reached with the hand or scraper through the small openings. The effect of the pressure exerted in smoothing them on the outside, therefore, naturalh' caused the upper parts to sink down, generating the spheroidal shape of the jar, one of the most beautiful types of the olla ever known to the Pueblos. At Zuni, wishing to have an ancient jar of this form which 1 had seen, reproduced, I showed a drawing of it to a woman expert in the manu- facture of pottery. Without any instructions from me beyond a mere statement of my wishes, she proceeded at once to sprinkle the inside of a basket-ljowl with sand, managing the clav in the way aluive de- I'iG. ]3. SECONDARY FORM OF THE VESSEL. FIG. 14. FINISHED VESSEL, SHOWING CONTRACTIONS IN DRYING. scribed and continuing the vessel shaping upward by spiral building. She did not at first make the shoulders low or sloping, but rounded or arched them upward and outward. At this I remonstrated, but she gave no heed other than to ejaculate "Wa-na-ni-ana !" which meant "just wait, will you!" When she had finished the rim, she easily caused the shoulders to sink, simply by stroking them — more where uneven than elsewhere — with a wet scraper of gourd until she had exactly reproduced the form of the drawing. She then set the vessel aside in the basket. Within two days it shrank by drying at the rate of about one inch in twelve, leaving the basket far too large. It could hence be removed without the slightest difficulty. (See Fig. 14). BASKETRY IN INDIAN LEGEND. 21 Ul > H o o H o o 2! td H O CO > 2; Q H _tn o > 22 INDIAN F.ASKETRY. CHAPTER 111. BASKETRV IX IXDIAX LEGEXD. Considering the important place that basketry holds in the life of the Indian, it is to be expected that much legendary lore of one kind or another would l)e associated with it. And such is the case. Did one have the time and opportunity, he might accumulate a large volume of such legends. A few must here suffice. MacMurray thus writes of the Cosmogony of the Yakimas as it was told to him by one of their great war chiefs : "The world was all water, and Saghalee Tyee was above it. He threw up out of the water at shallow places large quantities of mud, and that made the land. He made trees to grow, and he made a man out of a ball of mud F[i;. It;. 1NDI.\N }3ABY BASKh:;!'. CALIFORNIA TRIBE. CHRTSAI.IS PATTERN. FIG. 17. CRADLE OP NEVADA UTES, SHOWING CALIFORNIA N INFLUENCES. and instructed him in what he should do. When the man grew lone- some, he made a woman as his companion, and taught her to dress skins, and to gather berries, and to make baskets of the bark of roots, which he taught her how to find. "She was asleep and dreaming of her ignorance of how to please BASKETRY IN INDIAN DiOKND. -J man, and she prayed to Saghalee Tyee to help her. He breathed on her and gave her something that she could not see, or hear, or smell, or touch, and it was preserved in a little basket, and by it all the arts of design and skilled handiwork were imparted to her descendants." This Yakima chief then, in order that Mrs. MacMurray might be inspired likewise, presented her husband with a very ancient drum- shaped basket, about two and one half inches in diameter, which is now most carefully preserved among other baskets in the Mac Mur- ray home at Princeton, N. J. According to Washington Matthews the Xavahoes have many legends with which baskets are connected. Here is a description of the first baby baskets ever made. Surely none but a poetic and imaginative people could ever have conceived so wonderful a basket. Their gods of war were born of two women, one fathered liv the sun, the other by a waterfall, and when they were born they were placed in baby baskets both alike as follows : The foot-rests and the back battens were made of sunbeam, the hoods of rainbow, the side-strings of sheet lightning, and the lacing strings of zigzag lightning. One child they covered with the black cloud, and the other with the female rain. Another form of this story says that the boy born first was wrapped in black cloud. A rainbow was used for the hood of his basket and studded with stars. The back of the frame was a parhelion, with the bright spot at its bottom shining at the lowest point. Zi'gzag lightning was laid in each side and straight lightning down the middle ini front. Niltsatlol (sunbeams shining on a distant rainstorm) formed the fringe in front where Indians now put strips of buckskin. The carry-straps were sunbeams. It has often been stated that the Xavahoes make no baskets, yet in the light of the following legend it would certainly appear that they were basket-makers from the earliest ages. Doubtless the art has suf- fered a great decline, and it is true that but few Navaho women now practice it. Yet I have myself seen them at work and while thus occupied have succeeded in photographing them. This legend is of one of their maidens who made baskets. She was wooed by the Coyote, whose life principle was not in his chest where it would be easy to destroy it, but in the tip of his nose and the end of his tail. The Coyote had slain the Great Wolf but the maiden refused to marry him unless he had first been slain four times and four times had come back to life. Coyote allowed the maid to beat him with a great club until she thought him dead. Then she went to her basket- making. She was engaged in making four baskets at the time, but had not worked long before Coyote came back. Again she beat him with the club so that his body was hacked into pieces, and again she returned to her basketry, only to find Coyote shortly by her side saying "Twice you have slain me and I have come back to life." Once again she sought to slay him but failed to kill the vital prin- ciple and so she had only succeeded in taking a few stitches in the work when Coyote was back again. This time she smashed him all to pieces and mixed him with earth and ground him to powder and then scattered the powder in every direction. Rut, after considerable trouble. Coyote managed to gather 24 INDIAN BASKETRY. together his seattered corpus and returned to his basket making maiden, who soon thereafter became his wife. From another legend, however, we learn that it was a family or clan called Dsiltlani, who joined the Navahoes in the early days of the nation's history, who taught their women how to make wicker water- bottles, carrying baskets, etc. Yeitso, the tallest, fiercest, and most dreadful of the alien gods of the Navaho never travelled without carrying a basket. Yeitso was a singular being, born a monster at a time when the Navaho men and women were living apart. During this period of separation both sexes indulged in evil and vile practices and Yeitso was the fruit of the evil doing of his mother. He was slain by two mythical heroes who took his scalp and broken arrows to their home in his own basket. The Navahoes have an interesting legend which they connect with the carrying basket, Fig. i8. In the early days of the world's history one of their mythical heroes was seized b)- a flying monster and carried up to a dangerous ledge on a high mountain in New Mexico. He suc- FIC. ai. PAIUTI WATER BOTTL,E. THE TUSJEII OF THh; NAVAHO. FIIjS- in AXl.i 19. HOP! BASKET AND METHOD UF WEAVE, ceeded in killing the monster and its mate but was unable to get down from his perilous position. Just then he saw the Bat Woman (one of the mythical characters of the Navahoes) walking along the base of the cliff. After a good deal of persuasion she consented to come up and carry him down in her basket, but she required that he should close his CA es Ijefore she did so. Before he closed his eyes he saw that the lar.ge carr) ing basket was held upon her back by strings as thin as those Df a spider's web. "Grandmother," he said, "I fear to enter your bas- ket; the strings are too thin." "Have no fear," she replied, "I have carried a whole deer in this basket ; the strings are strong enough to bear ^•ou." Still he hesitated and still she assured him. The fourth time BASKKTUV IN INDIAN LEGKND. ^5 that he expressed his fear she said: "Fill the basket with stones and you will see that I speak the truth." He did as he was bidden and she danced around with the loaded basket on her back ; but the strings did not break, though they twanged like bowstrings. When he entered the basket she bade him keep his eyes shut until they reached the bottom of the cliff, as he must not see how she managed to descend. He shut his eyes and soon felt himself gradually going down ; but he heard a strange flapping against the rock, which so excited his curiosity that he opened his eyes. Instantly he began to fall with dangerous rapidity, and the flapping stopped ; she struck him with her stick and bade him close his eyes. Again he felt himself slowly descend- ing, and the flapping against the rock began. Three times more he disobeyed her, and the last time they were near the bottom of the clifif, and both fell to the ground unhurt. FIC;. n. THE HO-A-PUH OR CARRYING BASKET OF THE HOPIS AND NAA'AHOES. As soon as they reached the ground the hero and the Bat Woman plucked the feathers of the winged monsters and placed them in the basket. Before the hero left the Bat Woman he cautioned her not to pass through two particular regions, one of which was overgrown with weeds and the other with sunflowers. The Bat Woman failed to heed the warning and as she walked along through the sunflowers she heard a rustling behind her, and, turning, saw the feathers changing into birds of strange appearance and varying plumage and all swarm- ing out of her basket. She tried to hold them in, to catch them as they flew out, but all in vain. She laid down her basket and watched, helplessly, her feathers changing into little birds of all kinds, wrens, warblers, titmice and the like, all flying away until her basket was emptv. Thus it was that the little birds were created. In the Chaco Canyon in Northern New Mexico are a number of interesting cliff-idwellings or pueblo houses. In the earh' days thev were inhabited by the Pueblo people. One day a war eagle was .seen floating in the skv. The Pueblos much desired the feathers of the eagle, so thev watched where the bird alighted. When thev found the 2fc) IXDIAiX l:iASKl':TRY. nest it was in a cleft on the face of a precipice and inaccessible unless one were lowered in a basket. None of tlie yoinig men of the Pueblos was willing to risk his life in the attempt and the_\' tinally persuaded a poor Xavaho, afterwards named Kinniki. to make the effort on their behalf. A great, strong carrying basket was made, somewhat after tile style oi l*'ig. 21, and the Xavaho got inside it and was lowered to the eagle's nest. Jle was told to drop the eagles to the groimd below, but the Wind whis]X'red to him that the i'ueblos were his enemies and he had better not obey their behests. He heedetl the warning of the W'iitd and called out to those above: "Swing the basket so that it ma)' come nearer to the clift. 1 cannot reach the nest unless \'ou do." So they caused the basket to swing to and fro and when it touched the cliff the Xavaho stepped out leaving the empty basket swinging in the air. l^IG. IKJl'I BASKKT, MADE OL^ YUCCA. The I'ueblos were very angry when they found out the trick that had been played upon them, and they tried to kill the Navaho by shoot- ing tire arrows to the nest. For four days he stayed here starv- ing, keeping himself warm at night by sleeping between the two young eaglets. Then the eagles came home and they took him up to the upper world above the sky. He learned all the wonderful songs, prayers, sacrifices and ceremonies of the eagles, which are now practiced by the Xavahoes in one of their great rites. Now he returned to earth, and soon thereafter visited the treacher- ous people of Kintyel, upon whom he took a singular and appropriate vengeance. Another typical hero of the Xavahoes was .Va-ti-nes-thani — He who Teaches Himself. He was a great gambler, and after he had gambled away all his possessions, he left his home for some far away country in the hope of bettering his fortiuies. KASKICTKV IN INDIAN LKGL-iNLl. ^/ After wonderful adventures he eanie to the home of a wieked wizard, who was a cannibal, and wnose own uaugliter was also his wiie. ihis vile creatuie introuuced iNatinestnam to ins daughter as his son-in-law, for lie wished him to stay, so that he might slay and eat him. The wizard insisted upon smoking some of his son-m-law's tobacco, but it sent him into a swoon whicli seemed so like death that his wife and daughter besought iNatinesthani to restore him to life. l''(jur times this occurred, then the wizard determined to get rid of his son-in-law. The former induced his daughter to take a sacred basket rilled with mush, together with other food, to her husband, in which he had placed poison next to the a-tha-at-lo or finishing point on the rim. By craft the stranger avoided eating the poison, for the Wind People had warned him of it. When his wife presented the basket to him, she said: "When a stranger visits us we always e.xpect him to eat from the part of the basket where it is finished." He replied : "It is my cus- tom to eat from the edge oppposite the point of finish." He thus escaped the poison. When the young woman told her father he saw that he must try again, so the next day he sent his tlaughter with a dish of stewed ven- ison and a basket full of mush. But as the young man took it the Wind People warned him that there was poison all around the edge of the basket, so this time he ate freely of the stew, but, when he took the basket of mush he said: "When I eat just as the sun is about to come up, it is my custom to eat only from the mitldle of the basket." The following day both stew and mush were brought him. but as the Wind People whispered to him and told him that poison was mixed all through the mush, he said to his wife: "I may eat no mush to-day. The sun has already risen, and I have sworn that the sun shall never see me eat mush." On the fourth morning the wicked father-in-law- poisoned both stew and mush, but being warned as usual by the Wind People, the young man said to his wife: "I do not eat at all to- day. It is my custom to eat no food one day in every four. This is the day that I must fast." After such marvellous proofs of power the old man ceased his attempts for awhile: but by and b)-, he was again filled with desire to slay his son. Many were the ruses that he followed, the ambuscades that fte planned, the treacheries he concocted, but Xatinesthani evaded them all. Finally he succeeded in obtaining charms wdiich altogether destroyed the wizard's power. Then he told the wizard how he had all along known of his nefarious designs, and how he had thwarted them. Fully ex)5osed, the incestuous wizard confessed his wickedness and begged forgiveness and asked his son-in-law to cure him of all his evil. This was done and thus the I'eather Chant and Dance were inaugurated which continue to this da}' as potent ceremonies fiir the confusic.m of all the wizards and witches. In the legends wdiich ilescribe in tletail the growth of the Xavaho nation, the accession of one gens is thus accounted for: "It happened about this time wdiile some of the Tha 'paha were sojourning at Agala, that they sent two children one night to a spring to get water. The children carried out with them two wicker bottles, see Fig. 20, in somewhat the same fashion as pictured in Fig. 23. but returned with four. "Where did you get these other bottles?^" the parents inquired. "We took them away from two little girls whom we met at the spring." 28 INDIAN BASKETRY. answered the children. "Why did you do this, and who are the girls?" said the elders. "We do not know. They are strangers," said the little ones. The parents at once set out for the spring to find the strange children and restore the stolen bottles to them; but on the wa\- thev met the little girls coming toward the Tha 'paha camp, and asked them who they were. The strange children replied: "We ijelong to a band of wanderers who are encamped on yonder moun- tain. They sent us two together to find water." "Then we shall give \ou a name." said the Tha 'paha; "we shall call you To 'baznaazi — Two Come Together for Water." The Tha 'paha brought the little a-irls to their hut and bade them be seated. "Stay with us." they said. l.-'IG. 1':;. APACHE AVOMAN FIG. 21. POMA WOMAN CARRYING CARRYING AA'ATJiR IN PJASKET BOTTLE. LOAD IN CONICAL BASKET. "You are too weak and little to carry the water so far. We shall send some of our \oung men to carry it for you." When the yoimg men found the camp of the strangers they invited the latter to visit them. The Tha 'paha welcomed the newcomers as friends, and told them they had already a name for them, To 'baznaazi. Under this name they became united to the Navahoes as a new gens, and they are now closely affiliated with Tha 'paha. ( )ne of the chief legends of the Hopi is that of Tiyo, the mythical --nakc hero, anrl with that is intimately associated the "Ho-a-puh," or carrying basket. (Fig. 21.) Tiyo's father lived on a mountain near the i unction ni the San Juan and Colorado rivers. The vouth was tliiHiglitful and sUKlir)us and was much puzzlr-d to account for tlie ever BASKETRY IN INDIAN LEGlilN]). 29 flowing away of the water of the Colorado river. After long reflection he decided to endeavor to solve the mystery. His father Helped prepare a dry cottonwood tree, hollow it out and thus make a closed boat in which he could sail down the river to the discovery of its secret. To keep him from starving his mother and sister each gave him a po-o-ta, or basket tray made of yucca, (Fig. 22) heaped up with food. It was a dangerous trip but he finally reached the end of the journey. Here he descried a small round hole in the ground, and, hearing a sound, he advanced and was saluted with the cordial greeting "Um- pi-tuh, my heart is glad ; I have long been expecting you ; come down into my house." FIG. 25. HAVASUPAI MAKING BASKET. Under the direction of the Spider Woman, Tiyo visited the under- world and learned all the secret songs, prayers, dances and other ceremonials that are now performed by the snake-antelope fraternity. Then they went to the Sun and learned much from him, and after several day's journeyings returned to the Snake Kiva, where the chief taught him many things and then bestowed upon him two maidens. Said he: "Here are two maidens who know the charm which prevents death from the bite of the rattlesnake ; take them with you, and one you shall give to vour younger brother." Four days later Spider Woman made a beautiful hoapuh, around jU IXDIAX BASKETRY. which she lastent-d a cutton cord, and on the fifth morning" she placed l'i\(i in It. with a maiden on each sitle. She then ascended through the liatch antl disappeared, but soon a filament descended and attached itself U) the corcl, and the basket was ilrawn up to the white clouds, which sailed awa\ to To-ko-na-bi. ami there Spider Woman again spun out htr filament and lowered the basket to the ground. Tiyo took the maidens to his mother's house, and no stranger saw them for four days, and the two brothers prepared the bridal presents. Tivo and his brother and the two Snake maidens thus became the progenitors of the Snake and .Vntelope Clans of the Hopi, who alone perform the thrilling ceremony which I ha-\-e elsewhere fully de- f cribefl.'' I'MO .-i;. I'OMA I'Or.VDINi; acorns in GRANITJ-: .MOR'IWI: WI'I'II H.VSKET TOP. The Ilavasupais of the Havasu Canyon have a legend that they are descended from a daughter of Tochopa, their good ,god, who, like Tiyo's father, fastened up his offspring in a hollowed-out tree. But in Tochojja's case it was because Hokomata, the bad god, was about to drown the w^irld. After floating about for many day.s — so long, indeed, diat she grew from a girl to a w(jman — the log settled at a j»iint not far from the junction of the Little Colorado with the main ri\er. Idere, when she emerged from the tree, everything was dark and foggy. Soon she felt the desire for maternity, and, as the sun slowly rose for the first time upon the earth and dispelled the dark- *Scien;ific .American. June 24 and Sept. g, 1899. Wide World Magazine, Jan. ifjcfi ( liitiiiii. Jnne. 1000. LiASKKTRY IN INDIAN LKGENlJ 31 ntss and gloom, she determined that he should be the father of her child. The boy was born in due time. Then maternal longings again filling her breast she went and conceived of the waterfall, now known as Mooney h'all in Havasu Canyon. The offspring of this union was a daughter. I'^IG. :;i)A. NAVAHO WATRR CARRIERS. As the children grew she sent the boy over the Kohonino basin to hunt, and taught her daughter to make baskets, she herself having been taught by Tochopa before the drowning of the world. Thus it is that the Havasupais are good basket makers and excel so manv other weavers in the exercise of the art. 3 2 IXDrAX BASKETRV. FIG. :;7. SACRi-:D BASKETS OP THE NAVAHOES, tsn _ PIMAS AND APACHES. (Plimpton Collection.) FIG. :S. D.VNCE AXD OTHER B.VSKETS OF THE YOKUTS. fPlimpton r ...:: BASKETRi" IN INDIAN CEREMONIAL,. 33 CHAPTER IV. BASKETRY IN INDIAN CEREMONIAL. In many Indian ceremonies baskets play a most important part. If all these were recorded a large volume would be the result. A few of the most important and best known are here briefly given. In one of the great healing ceremonies and dances of the Navahoes the baskets shown in Eigs. zj and 29 have a distinct place. One or other of these baskets must be used. To describe this wonderfully weird and singular series of ceremonies in full would take up three-score pages of this unpretentious work, so I must content myself with giving the briefest synopsis, merely showing where the baskets are ceremonially used. The whole series of dances, prayers, songs, etc., are called "Hasjelti Dailjis." They are conducted by one of the leading shamans of the tribe, and only the most wealthy can afford them, for the cost is great, even as high as hundreds, and often two or three thousands, of dollars. Eor nine days these ceremonies last, the first day being devoted to the building and dedication of a medicine hogan and a sweat house. Around this sweat house wands of turkey feathers were placed, which were brought hither in one of these sacred baskets ; and when the sweating process was over the wands were collected, placed in the basket and removed to the medicine hogan. On the fourth day two of these baskets figured prominently in the ceremonies. A medicine basket containing amole root and water was placed in front of a circle made of sand and covered with pine boughs. A second basket contained water and a quantity of pine needles suf- ficiently thick to form a dry surface, and on the top of these needles a number of valuable necklaces of coral, turquoise and silver were placed. A square was formed on the edge of the basket with four of the turkey wands before mentioned. The song priest with rattle led several priests in singing. The invalid sat to the northeast of the circle, a breech cloth his only apparel. During the chanting an attendant made suds by macerating the amole and beating it up and ■ down in the water.- The basket remained in position ; the man stooped over it, facing north ; his position allowed the sunbeams which came through the fire opening to fall upon the suds. When the basket was a mass of white froth the attendant washed the suds from his hands by pouring water from a Paiuti basket water-bottle (Fig. 20) over them, after which the song priest came forward and with corn pollen drew a cross over the suds, which stood firm like the beaten whites of eggs, the arms of the cross pointing to the cardinal points. A circle of the pollen was then made around the edge of the suds." This crossing and circling of the basket of suds with the pollen is supposed to give them additional power in restoring the invalid to health. The invalid now knelt upon the pinion boughs in the center of the same circle. "A handful of the suds was placed on his head. The basket was now placed near to him, and he bathed his head thoroughly ; the maker of the suds afterwards assisted him in bathing the entire body with the suds, and pieces of yucca were rubbed upon 34 INDIAN BASKETRY. the bod\-. The chant continued through the ceremony and closed just as the remainder of the suds was emptied by the attendant over the invahd's h.ead. The song priest collected the four wands from the second basket, and an attendant gathered the necklaces ; a second attendant placed the basket before the invalid, who was now sitting in the center of the circle, and the first attendant assisted him in bath- ing the entire body with this mixture ; the Ijody was quite covered with the pine needles, which had become very soft from soaking. The invalid then returned to his former position at the left of the song priest, and the pine needles of the yucca, or amole, together with the sands, were carried out and deposited at the foot of a pinion FIG. 2D. NAVAHO SACRED BASKET. tree. The body of the invalid was dried by rubbing with meal." This taking out of the sands, pine needles, etc., used in the ceremony was supposed to take away so much of the disease that had been washed from the invalid. Later in the day at another most elaborate ceremony baskets filleo with food are placed in a circle around a fire in the medicine lodge. One of the priests takes a pinch of food from each basket, and places it in another basket. This is then prayed over, smoked over and thus made a powerful medicine by the song-priest. After the priest has gone through several performances with it, the invalid dips his three first fingers into the mixture, puts them in his mouth, and loudh- sucks in the air. This is repeated four times. Then all the BASKETRY IN INDIAN CEREMONIAL. 3S attendants do likewise, with a prayer for rain, good crops, health and riches. This food is afterwards dried by the chief medicine man, made into a powder, and is one of his most potent medicines. On the sixth day a great sand painting is made in the medicine lodge, and the invalid, as he enters, is required to take the sacred medicine basket, which is now filled with sacred meal, and sprinkle the painting with it. The chief figures of the painting were the god- desses of the rainbow, whose favor it was desired he should gain. Again and again in the ceremonies these sacred baskets are used, and on the ninth day in the concluding dance the invalid takes it full of sacred meal and sprinkles all the dancers. The full description of this wonderful series of ceremonies is found in the Eighth Annual Report of the U. S. Bureau of Ethnology. If the margin is worn through or torn, the basket is unfit for sacred use. The basket is one of the perquisites of the shaman when the rites are done ; but he, in turn, must give it away, and must be careful never to eat out of it. Notwithstanding its sacred uses, food may be served in it bv any other person than the shaman who has used it ceremoniallv. FIG. 30. CIRCLE OP MEAL IN NAVAHO WEDDING BASKET. Fig. 29 shows the other form of Navaho sacred basket. It is also made of aromatic sumac, and is used in the rites to hold sacred meal. The crosses are said to represent clouds, heavy with rain, and would indicate that this basketry design may have had its origin in its use during ceremonies intended to bring the rain. Another important ceremony of the Navahoes in which this basket figures is that of marriage. A. M. Stephen thus describes the wedding custom: "On the night set for the wedding both families and their friends meet at the hut of the bride's family. Here there are much feasting and singing, and the bride's family make return presents to the bridegroom's people, but not, of course, to the same amount. The women of the bride's family prepare corn meal porridge, which is poured into the basket. The bride's uncle then sprinkles the sacred blue pollen of the larkspur upon the porridge, forming a design as in Fig. 30. The bride has hitherto been lying beside her mother, concealed under a blanket, on the woman's side of the hogan (hut). After call- ing to her to come to him, her uncle seats her on the west side of the hut, and the bridegroom sits down before her, with his face toward hers, and the basket of porridge set between them. A gourd 36 INDIAN BASKETRY. of water is then given to the bride, who pours some of it on the bridegroom's hands while he washes them, and he then performs a hke office for her. With the first two fingers of the right hand he then tal