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Read Ebook: The Art and the Romance of Indian Basketry Clark Field Collection Philbrook Art Center Tulsa 1964 by Field Clark
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Ebook has 202 lines and 29587 words, and 5 pages
This coiled basket is covered with the feathers of about two hundred quail. The feathers which protrude from the basket, are from the head of the Valley Quail, or Gambel's Quail. The dark blue feathers are taken from different quails. The decorative disk-like beads are fashioned in the following manner: the shells are broken into small pieces and then drilled with a pump drill. They are then strung on a cord and the strand is then rubbed on a wet sandstone until the beads are round and uniform in size.
The married couple retains this sacred memento of the marriage ceremony as long as they both live, but if either of the couple dies the basket is sacrificed in the cremation ceremony.
This basket was used in ceremonies prior to about 1889. They are no longer made or used. This basket was obtained in 1937 from an Indian Agent who at that date stated he had seen only six baskets of this type on the reservation since 1907.
Case No. 4:
This splendid specimen is woven mainly of lemon bush. The white area is yucca plant and the black area is "Devil's Claw," or Martyna.
When an Indian Girl reaches the marriageable age, a "Coming Out Dance" is given in her honor. The girl's relatives and friends are invited to attend this important traditional ceremony. Drummers provide music as the girl and her sponsor dance on a rug or on the skin of an animal such as the bear or buffalo. These ceremonial baskets are placed for the guests to view--the more guests, the more baskets required. Each basket is filled with a mixture of sweetmeats, fruits and other foods and is placed on a slope in order to make the contents plainly visible to the guests.
After the ceremony the baskets are passed among the guests for the contents to be enjoyed. They are then hung inside the house by the two handles, until the next "Coming Out Dance."
Case No. 10:
This basket was used for storing mesquite beans after they had been hulled. It is doubtful if this type of basket has been made since 1900.
For storage baskets of other tribes see:
Case No. 4:
Evidence of the importance of basketry among the southwestern peoples of the United States in the first few centuries of our era lies in the fact that these peoples and their culture are referred to as the "Basket Makers."
This basket dates back to approximately 300 A.D., about 1600 years ago. It was used as a seed container to store squash and pumpkin seeds until the next planting season. It was found in the cliff dwellings of the San Juan River basin near Mesa Verde, Colorado.
Case No. 7:
This unusually large specimen is almost three feet tall. Since about 1914, very few, if any, as large as this have been made. An Indian woman would have to devote three to four months to the weaving of a basket of this size. Today she can purchase a gunny sack from the nearest trading post for twenty five cents and store the same amount of grain with much less effort.
This basket, valued at 0.00 on the collector's market today, is a splendid illustration of a dying art. The forthcoming Indian generation will not be concerned with the making of baskets for daily use. The beautiful weaving techniques and colorful designs will become a thing of the past.
Case No. 10:
The unusual decorative design of this basket is commonly referred to as "alligator intestines." This design motif has been used as far back as history records, and serves as an excellent example of the weaver's skill.
For other examples of household baskets see:
Case No. 11:
Case No. 4:
The 1817 specimen is of considerable historical significance since it was brought to Oklahoma sometime between 1838 and 1842, at the time the Federal Government removed the Choctaw tribe from Mississippi to Indian Territory .
Above door of entrance to Basket Gallery:
These woven specimens are covered with gum from the Pinon Pine and subsequently baked over an open fire until they become as hard as shellac. This coating makes the bottles watertight.
Several Arizona tribes prefer this type of water bottle to any they can procure from the Anglo; they are, therefore, still used extensively in this area.
CARRYING
Case No. 13:
Case No. 13:
This basket was made for cooking grasshoppers. After the grasshoppers were placed in the basket the top was tied with a buckskin thong and submerged in boiling water. The basket was removed from the water when the grasshoppers were sufficiently cooked and ready to be eaten.
Case No. 5:
This water-tight boiling basket is made of spruce roots which have been finely split by hand. It is woven as tightly as commercially woven canvas water bags. These baskets are no longer made for cooking because metal containers are readily available.
The design motif of this unusually fine specimen is constructed of mountain grass, commonly called Squaw Grass. The grass is soaked in bog mud all winter, giving it the black color. The copper color is obtained by boiling the grass with copper ore, and the white is the same grass, sun bleached.
Case No. 4:
In 1540, the Spaniards, led by Coronado, arrived in the Southwest and found this basket being used in daily life. Such items as Mesquite beans, cactus, wood, water jars and corn were carried in this basket, which is equipped with a head band and rests on the shoulders. After the Spaniards introduced horses and horses became plentiful, the men ceased to have need for this basket.
Case No. 12:
These three trays are used for roasting shelled nuts such as hazel nuts and pinon nuts. The nuts are placed on the tray along with red-hot wood coals. A revolving motion is applied to the tray and the coals are rolled so deftly that they do not burn the tray.
Case No. 10:
This specimen was made of a hemp foundation and false embroidery of twisted corn husks. Vegetable dyes were used.
The name "Sally Bag" goes back to an older use of the term sally, meaning "to go forth," "to sally forth," i.e. to travel.
The bags were used as travel bags and were tied to the back of the cantle of the saddle. They were known to have been in use at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1805.
Case Nos. 2 and 13:
Case No. 11:
This basket was formerly used for cooking and is now used in berry picking. There are four different materials used in the construction: the foundation is coiled, split cedar roots; the white color is bleached mountain grass; the dark red is cherry tree bark; the brown is cedar bark.
BIRCHBARK Various Tribes
Case No. 8:
Many items are made from birch-bark by the Indians in areas where the birch tree grows in abundance. Like many other cultures, the Indian used objects for daily use which required the least effort to make. Birch-bark lends itself readily to easy construction.
Shown here are many forms of birch-bark construction: boxes, buckets, creels, trays, etc.
Case No. 7:
These baskets were used for such things as winnowing grain and gathering fruit and vegetables.
Case No. 2:
One of the finest examples of the Indian woman's native creative arts is found in porcupine quill decoration. The artist formerly prepared her own dyes from berries, roots, barks, etc. Today, aniline dyes are used almost exclusively. Steps used in the preparation of quills for bark decoration are as follows:
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