Exhibit Label

The clam basket represents a highly successful solution to an everyday problem in Northwest Coast life. Baskets made to hold clams as they are dug must be rigid and strong, but must allow water and mud to pass through the walls when the clams are rinsed. The solution was a large, flaring basket of split spruce or cedar root in the open wrapped twining technique. The basket, full of clams, can be plunged up and down in the water, and the sand and mud clinging to the shells are quickly removed, draining through the sieve-like sides. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)