Trinket Basket Item Number: A1906 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Simple coiled work basket with bifurcated stitches and parallel slat base foundation. Basket also has a slat foot. Partially imbricated and beaded with staggered cross-shapes in red. The rim is beaded in red, and the foot is partially beaded in black.

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.

Cultural Context

basketry; storage; plant technology

Iconographic Meaning

According to the collector's catalogue, this basket has a butterfly design. Butterfly designs are popular amongst the Sto:lo and represent everlasting life.

Item History

What

Name
Trinket Basket
Identification Number
A1906
Type of Item
basket
Material
cherry bark and cedar root
Manufacturing Technique
coiled and imbricated
Overall
height 11.0 cm, width 16.7 cm, depth 15.0 cm

Who

Culture
Coast Salish: Sto:lo: Soowahlie
Previous Owner
George Henry Raley
Received from
H. R. MacMillan (Funding source) and George Henry Raley (Seller)

Where

Holding Institution
MOA: University of British Columbia
Made in
British Columbia, Canada
Collected in
Cultus Lake, British Columbia, Canada

When

Creation Date
before 1934
Collection Date
between 1893 and 1934
Ownership Date
before November 1948
Acquisition Date
during November 1948

Other

Item Classes
basketry
Condition
good
Accession Number
1960/0245