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Description

Round coiled cedar root basket (a) and lid (b). Base and walls have parallel slat construction, while lid has root splint foundation. Both basket and lid are decorated with imbrication in cherry bark and beading in white grass. The lid has a knob on it, which is beaded with red cherry bark.

History Of Use

Coiled basketry traditionally had many uses. It was used for storage of foods, medicines and personal belongings. Some baskets were used for cooking and boiling water, while others had more private uses. Haeberlin and Teit (1928) suggest that in the past not all women were basket makers, but that the skill became more widespread during the early and middle twentieth century when basketry was highly collectible and it became a source of income for many local First Nations women. Basket making declined after the 1950s, but it is still present in many Coast Salish communities and interest is growing.

Narrative

Rena notes that: "Its getting harder to make good basketry because the older trees are the ones that produce the straight roots that keep its shape and thin down easy because the grain is straight. Today you have to get roots from the younger trees and you're still dealing with the crooked roots - these are the first roots, and the long straight suckers don't usually come out long until the tree is quite old, and those are the ones with the straight grain. It's difficult to make a nice even-stitched basket with crooked roots because you can't get them to lie straight side by side... The same with the cedar sapwood that's inside - it's hard to get good straight cedars, because in the old days, the old trees supported the young saplings when they grew, and they grew up straight." Rena travels a long way to get good roots, sometimes all day. She also has to make sure that the roots she gets aren't discoloured, and that the basket is made with all one shade of root.

Cultural Context

basketry; contemporary art; traditional knowledge

Specific Techniques

Coiled basket with two different foundation materials - wood slats and cedar root splints. Decorated with imbrication, which involves folding an overlay into the stitches as the basket is made, and beading in which narrow strips of bark and grass are layed over top of some rows.