A Wealth of Thought by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Published: 2017-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

SECOND FLOOR, HALL 202

On the second floor are found collections from California and Mexico which illustrate some of the characteristics of the decorative art of these regions.

HALL 202: CASES 1–6

California Indians The decorative art of the California Indians, more particularly that of the Indians of southern California, is almost entirely confined to basketry. Their baskets are mostly round, rather rarely oblong, many of them quite shallow: consequently we find a tendency to arrange the decorative designs in radial groups or in spirals. The designs themselves are rarely realistic, but consist always of more or less intricate geometrical designs. The similarity of these designs on various baskets is quite striking. Their interpretations, however, differ considerably. A collection illustrating the similarity of design and the diversity of their meaning has been assembled in Case 2a, b. There we find on one basket a design representing a squirrel’s foot. A similar design on another basket represents mountains and pinecones; on still another, the bear’s foot; and on a fourth the owl’s claw.

In the same case are shown a number of baskets illustrating one of the most common ornamental motives found in California, the so-called quail tip, a design consisting of a slender line with a small heavy hook standing off from the end at right angles. This design was described before as found on baskets from the state of Washington (Case R 12 in Hall 108), and it seems probable that it has spread along the Pacific coast from tribe to tribe. This seems the more likely, since it is found in entirely different weaves, according to the district in which it occurs. While it is found on many Californian weaves, it is applied in the state of Washington on the peculiar imbricated basketry the characteristic designs of which are illustrated by baskets of the Thompson and Lillooet Indians (see Cases O and P, Hall 108).

The interpretations given to designs by the Californian Indians vary greatly. The designs often represent plants, while some represent fish teeth, snakes, worms, millipedes, butterflies, etc. Designs symbolic of larger animals are absent. One of the most frequently occurring designs on Californian, and perhaps on all, basketry is the feather and arrow-point design (Cases 2, 3). Realistic designs are found only in the extreme southern part of California and in the adjoining portions of Arizona.

In northern California the interpretation of designs seems to be almost absent. The patterns of this district are called “striped,” “zigzag,” etc., terms which are evidently names, not interpretations (Case 6f).

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