Gathering Basket

Description: 

Oval, bundle construction, coiled basket. Braided lobelled rim. Imbricated geometric design. Curved sides flare from narrower base., height: 12"; Width at Bottom: 7"; Width at Top: 11",

Cultural Narrative: 

This one is old, it does looks very familiar, probably coiled cedar root bear grass design. It looks like far apart stars to me, but I don't know what it means. I used to think they were crosses like from the Catholic Church, but my mom told me it was stars, they call them "little stars." This one though it could be stars, but they are farther apart, the pattern looks like what we call little stars “spakla.” It looks like natural dyes. Another characteristic about Plateau baskets is when you go up, they didn't start the design at the bottom, they would start three or six rows up from the bottom and always go on uneven numbers as they weave. My mother told me to do that but i don't know why. On the baskets that my mom had from my aunt had the same designs. Elaine Emerson