Gathering Basket

Description: 

Coiled cedar, braided lobelled rim; fully imbricated zigzag quail top knot of reed with background of beargrass; small sections of red dyed beargrass., height: 5 1/4"; Diameter: 6",

Cultural Narrative: 

It's a children's basket. I think it was made for a child to pick into because it looks used. It has all the markings of use in there and it has the loops over the top for you to lace up your basket. Maybe the auntie, the grandma, or the mother kept them in this so she could have a couple more, so the kids would feel good about accomplishing some nice work. This is the first one I've seen to have red and dyed cedar. It's actually the usual tan cedar, beargrass, or dark cedar. Then it has some rows of a kind of faded red, pink, orange. It's a pretty little basket, it is. I would bet it is from Yakama. We seem to be the only ones who have this on the top. Other baskets all have the flat bottom with laces over the top and right into the basket, a little below the rim, it doesn't have individual loops that go in and out of. Vivian Adams, Marlene Simlaw