Description

Cylindrical basket of spruce root, twinned woven, with three horizontal brown stripes. [MJD 17/08/2009]

Longer Description

Cylindrical basket of spruce root, twinned woven, with three horizontal brown stripes. [MJD 17/08/2009]

Publications History

Referred to on p. 9 of 'Haida Art in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, and the Rev. Charles Harrison', by June Bedford, in European Review of Native American Studies, Vol. XII, no. 2 (1998), pp. 1-10. [JC 16 4 1999]

Primary Documentation

Accession book entry: 'From Rev. Ch. Harrison, 80 Halton Rd, Canonbury Sq. N. Collection of Haida objects collected by him.... - ... small basket of spruce work.

No additional information on catalogue cards. [JC 4 9 1996]

Pitt Rivers Museum label - Basket in twinned weaving. Made from spruce root. HAIDA. C. Harrison coll. Purch. 1891. [MJD 17/08/2009]

Written on object - HAIDA C. HARRISON COLLN PURCH. 1891. [MJD 17/08/2009]

Related Documents File - The Haida Project Related Documents File contains video of research sessions and interviews with Haida delegates from September 2009 as part of the project ‘Haida Material Culture in British Museums: Generating New Forms of Knowledge'. It also includes post-visit communications that discuss object provenance. For extensive photographic, video, and textual records documenting the Haida research visit as a whole, including but not limited to preparations of objects for handling, travel logistics, British Museum participation, transcribed notes from research sessions and associated public events held at PRM, see the Haida Project Digital Archive, stored with the Accessions Registers. Original hand-written notes taken during research sessions have been accessioned into the Manuscripts collection, in addition to select other materials. [CAK 02/06/2010]

Research Notes

The following information comes from Haida delegates who worked with the museum's collection in September 2009 as part of the project “Haida Material Culture in British Museums: Generating New Forms of Knowledge”:
This basket was viewed alongside other woven baskets on Monday Sept 11, 2009. It was identified as a small berry picking basket. Delegates suggested it could have been used by a child, or a woman might have filled this small basket and then transferred its contents to a larger berry basket. Candace Weir identified the material as spruce root. Kwiaahwah Jones proposed that the striped decoration could indicate units of measurement, for example, a chief would receive a higher volume of berries than someone of a lower rank. Rings are common design features on Haida berry baskets. Candace Weir explained that ice cream tubs are often used as forms for weaving modern berry baskets, and that the ice cream tubs themselves are used for picking berries. She observed that some baskets have small holes near the top where lines would have been attached so they could be worn around the neck. One delegate identified a cockle pattern in the weaving. Another delegate identified the Haida spider web pattern near the rim of the basket. It was observed that with baskets, add-ins occur on the bottom of the basket so they are not visible, whereas with hats, the add-ins are on the inside so they can not be seen. [CAK 09/04/2010]