Basket

A gradual change occurred in Salish basketry from the 1820's to the 1940's with the decline of utilitarian basket making and the increase in decorated baskets, made for sale.

Beading and imbrications are used individually and jointly as a means of ornamenting coiled basketry. When finished, ordinary beading looks like a ribbon drawn along the coil after it has been sewn over and under the stitches. A line of imbricated stitches has the appearance of a row of tiny overlapping shingles, only the edges lie vertically, not horizontally.

Rectangular, coiled cedar root basket (a) with rounded corners, flaring out from bottom. Flat-topped lid (b) with slat foundation, slat bottom and sides. Raised slat rim. Same major design repeated on four sides, possibly a butterfly. Triple outline in red, black and white imbrication. Lid design of four horizontal rows of h-shapes, alternating black and white with red and white.