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1927.43.5

Fish plate.

1927.43.5

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Collection type
Object
Description
Fish plate.
Long description
Openwork basketry fish plate made from hazel wood. Shallow bowl with flat bottom and gently convex sides.
Cultural groups
Yurok
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1927
Date collected
1927
Acquisition information
Donated: 1927
Materials and processes
Material Hazel Wood Plant, Process Twined Woven, Process Basketry
Dimensions
Diameter: max 355 mm, Height: max 105 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1927.43.5
Research and responses

Related Documents File - 'Notes from Beatrice Blackwood's Klamath trip, [June 10 - 12] 1927.' Excerpt from notes: 'Mrs. Peters . . . took us into her loft and showed us a lot of new baskets she had made, I bought one by way of ingratiation, and then asked for old ones, she gave us one she had used to cook with, and I also bought a cradle, they often have a hood to shield the baby's face. She promised to make me one if I liked. She is the mother of Tommy Peters, who was one of the people Dr. Kroeber told us to look up, so she took us down to his house . . . After supper we held quite a reception, Mrs. Peters, and another woman who couldn't speak English . . . Asked about basket making. They use hazel shoots for the warp, and the woof is redwood or pine roots split. The pattern is made of a large fern that grows plentifully everywhere, coloured with alder bark which makes it a brownish red. A black pattern is used also, chiefly on the women's basket caps, this is made of the stems of a kind of maiden-head fern with long strands, less brnching than ours.' [GI 26/11/2001]

Information from Sally McLendon, June 1991: This is a space twined fish-plate with warp and weft of hazel shoots. It can be seen in collector's photo of Mrs. Maggie Peters, the maker.

Examined during a research visit on 14 September 2010 by Hoopa basket maker and culture bearer Deborah E. McConnell who identified this as a utilitarian basket made from hazel wood and probably used to soak/ leach acorns. The acorns are placed in the basket and water is drained through to strain out the tannins, a process known as leaching. [ZM 16/09/2010]

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