Posted 3 years ago
ho2cultcha
(5042 items)
Thanks to CanyonRoad, I've been able to determine that this basket was made by Nootkah on Vancouver Island or possibly the Makah of northern Washington. I believe that it is late 19th c - by both the shape and the very fine weaving. I counted out the knots in a square inch and it came to around 140 - which makes it incredibly fine - much more so than any other examples i could find. It's a very interesting basket!
Thank you CanyonRoad for your expertise.
Nice basket, but it isn't Klamath (Oregon/California border). It's Nootka/Makah from Vancouver Island, Canada, or Neah Bay, Washington, respectively. The Klamath never used colored materials in their basketry, and their baskets are primarily made from tule, with a full-twist overlay twining stitch.
Both the Nootka (now called Nuu-chah-nulth) and the Makah make twined baskets from cedar and beargrass, but usually Makah baskets have a "checkerboard" cedar plaited bottom, and Nootka baskets are twined over the underlying cedar foundation. When it can't be determined which tribe made a particular basket, it is generally classified as "Makah." But definitely not Klamath.
CanyonRoad, what an asset to CW you are!
Thank you CanyonRoad! I realized while reading your feedback that i had it confused with another one i was looking at in my friend's collection. He did tell me this was Nootka. I don't think i've ever seen one as colorful as this one was at one point.
This is my 3rd cousin's Blog:
http://karukbasketmaterials.blogspot.com/
I may have posted this before but it's very informative for Karuk(Klamath River) area Traditional Basket Weaving! :^D
Thanks for Posting Pete nice Find! :^)
It's an informative blog, but remember, the basket in question is Nootka, from Vancouver Island, Canada...and entirely unrelated to the Karok.
Nor is the Karok tribe related to the Klamath tribe, except for the fact that they, along with the Yurok, Modoc, Hupa, Shasta, and the Yahooskin-Paiute. all live in northern California/southern Oregon in the Klamath River basin, which covers around 12,000 square miles, and stretches from southeastern Oregon to northwestern California. Each tribe has their own type of basketry, and basket material depending on what grows where they live.
Bill - what an interesting link you sent! i reposted it on my page to share it w/ others.
i just replaced one of the photos with one where the colored pattern is still showing on the outside. I think it's a rope pattern.
Pete, Karen is the GGGrandDaughter of Emma Pearch my GGGrandMother also! :^)
Emma Pearch, was a Karuk basketweaver who married an immigrant Enghshman that came To California in 1850, from Ohio, my GGGrandFather John Adam Pearch owned a Goldmine on Pearch Creek Orleans, California on the Klamath River!
Here's a link that has more information on the Collection of Baskets that John and Emma Collected, some made by Emma Pearch, and were shown in the Clarke Memorial Museum, Eureka, California as the Hover Collection of Karuk Baskets:
https://escholarship.org/content/qt6h03v3jc/qt6h03v3jc_noSplash_d424bf75bf8afa19f5ccc75da2e72684.pdf?t=krnj58
Thanks Again Pete! :^)