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1913.22.7

Water-holding basket, twined, with false-embroidery in aniline-dyed grass stems. Bands of colours, seemingly natural, green and red, run horizontally around the basket.

1913.22.7

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Collection type
Object
Description
Water-holding basket, twined, with false-embroidery in aniline-dyed grass stems. Bands of colours, seemingly natural, green and red, run horizontally around the basket.
Cultural groups
Tlingit
Person
Field collector Miss E.C. Bell
PRM source Miss E.C. Bell
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1913
Date collected
By 1913
Acquisition information
Donated: 06/1913
Materials and processes
Material Spruce Root Plant, Material Grass Fibre Plant, Material Pigment, Process Twill Woven, Process False-Embroidered, Process Dyed, Process Basketry
Dimensions
Width: max 113 mm, Height: max 155 mm, Length: max 176 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1913.22.7
Research and responses

Shape and decoration suggest that this is Tlingit. Although originally entered as a water-holding basket, Paul (1944) suggests that water-baskets were not decorated. LM.

Teri Rofkar (Tlingit Tribe) and Luba Dovgan-Nurse examined this object during a research visit in November 2011. They made the following comments: This basket is in the style of a water-holding basket, but probably not used as such. This was made for the tourist trade. The patterns are the shaman’s hat pattern and the fireweed pattern. [El.B 22/11/2011]

Associated publications
Illustrated in black and white as figure 43 on page 46 of Basketmakers Meaning and Form in Native American Baskets, edited by Linda Mowat, Howard Morphy and Penny Dransart (Oxford: Pitt Rivers Museum, University if Oxford, Mongraph 5, 1992). Caption reads: ‘USA, Alaska, Tlingit. Twined basket of spruce root with false embroidery in grass dyed pink, yellow and purple with aniline dyes. This is a small size of berry gathering basket. H: 155 mm; dia: 150 mm. Donated by Miss E.C. Bell. 1913.22.7’ [MJD 16/01/2013]

Search terms: Basketry, Food and Drink, Basket, Food Accessory

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