Openwork root baskets were tough and light when new and were particularly useful for carrying heavy loads such as clams. The entire load could be rinsed of sand by dunking the filled basket in the water. A carrying strap, called a tumpline, was tied by its trailing ends to loops near the basket rim, with its broad center passing across the forehead or chest of the carrier. (Holm, Spirit and Ancestor, 1987)

S'abadeb-Seattle Art Museum Jennie Kanim (1878-1952), the wife of Chief Jerry Kanim of the Snoqualmie Tribe, was an accomplished maker of coiled cedar baskets. Chief Kanim was a traditionalist who created artworks for sale to pay for legal fees to secure compensation for land claims.