Old, mended. Grimy and worn, in fragile condition. Hoop broken. Newer coarse twined bottom sewn on with buckskin thong. White overlay, 2-faced. Horizontal diamond bands. 2 rows of triangles like sawteeth just below rim. All plain weave. Label "Nongatl". Per Ralph Shanks: Close-twined conical burden basket, used. No starting knot due to repair. The base is an added on separate basket, made of willow (Salix), tied on with leather lashing. The main basket is probably willow warp with conifer root (Pinophyta) wefts and beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax) weft design overlay. There is a reinforcing rod at the interior rim that is a shoot that is attached to the upper weft rows, using a leather cord, with up to the right slanted leather lashing going through the basket every inch or so. Starting after the base repair there is plain twining to the rim. Starting at the base there is about 3 1/2 inches of vertical lines of beargrass followed by five beargrass horizontal diamond bands, with one plain beargrass band separating every two diamond bands. At the rim there are two rows of beargrass triangles separated by a row of plain conifer root. The rim is trimmed. The basket undulates. The workface is on the exterior. The basket has a rightward work direction and an up to the right slant of weft twist. The overlay is two sided, with the primary design on the exterior. The basket has a flattened side, probably to go flush against the carrier's back. The lashing technique and the undulation of the body of the basket are probably Southern Humboldt Athabaskan characteristics and the conical shape with a narrower flat bottom is Southern Nongatl characteristics.
Donor:
Pliny Earle Goddard
Collection place:
Bridgeville, Humboldt County, California
Verbatim coll. place:
California; Humboldt; Bridgeville
Culture or time period:
Nongatl
Collector:
Pliny Earle Goddard
Collection date:
1906
Materials:
Common beargrass, Conifer root, and Willow (wood)
Taxon:
Pinophyta, Salix, and Xerophyllum tenax
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Burden baskets and Twined weaving
Function:
1.5 Household
Accession date:
1906
Context of use:
Burden basket.
Department:
Native California (archaeology and ethnology)
Dimensions:
length 50 centimeters
Comment:
Photo: "15-8621" Remarks: "For materials see Supplementary Catalogue 1, p. 16" "The [diamond shape] of the design = totel tcuggelle, the right angle [designs] at the top are called tcenin." Per Ruth Merrill: Warp is Hazel, weft is Spruce root.