ts'la7 (Burden Basket)

Burden basket used for berry picking or gardening

The design on this basket was identified as the mouth to mouth design by basket makers from Mount Currie. Farrand's early study of Salish basketry designs notes that the C-shaped symbols, like those on this basket, represent heads with open mouths. The small lines protruding from the edges are representative of hair.

Large flared, rectangular coiled basket (bifurcated stitches) with parallel splint base construction, bifurcated overstitch at center. Upper half is fully imbricated in cat-tail grass with designs of mirror image 'c' shapes in black cherry bark. Black cherry bark stitches at intervals along rim. Lower portion has short vertical stripes of cat-tail grass divided in three and outlined in either red or dark cherry bark. Bottom has two rows of red cherry bark imbrication. Fibre through one side at rim.