Indian Baskets Of The Northwest Coast

Five examples of Northwest Coast Indian basketry photographed against the natural scenery of their places of origin.

A noted illustrator renders more than 270 designs produced by the Indians of the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and the western coast of Canada: Nootka, Kwakiutl, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and other groups.

Written by an outstanding authority and profusely illustrated, this is a comprehensive study of the Indians that lived from Yakutat Bay in Alaska to the northern coast of California. Originally published in the Anthropological Handbooks Series of The American Museum of Natural History, this volume vividly recreates the complexities and attainments of this unique culture of aboriginal America. The author first describes the land, people, and prehistory of the area and then considers each aspect of the culture: social structures and marriage customs, economy and technology, religion, rituals, art, wars, and feuds. Philip Drucker, an authority on the ethnology of the Pacific Coast, was educated at the University of California and was formerly with the Bureau of American Ethnology of The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Illustrated with over 70 drawings

Provides details of the tribes, habitats, hunting and fishing methods, and the art of these people.

For millennia, Native artists on Olympic Peninsula, in what is now northwestern Washington, have created coiled and woven baskets using tree roots, bark, plant stems—and meticulous skill. From the Hands of a Weaver presents the traditional art of basket making among the peninsula’s Native peoples—particularly women—and describes the ancient, historic, and modern practices of the craft. Abundantly illustrated, this book also showcases the basketry collection of Olympic National Park. Baskets designed primarily for carrying and storing food have been central to the daily life of the Klallam, Twana, Quinault, Quileute, Hoh, and Makah cultures of Olympic Peninsula for thousands of years. The authors of the essays collected here, who include Native people as well as academics, explore the commonalities among these cultures and discuss their distinct weaving styles and techniques. Because basketry was interwoven with indigenous knowledge and culture throughout history, alterations in the art over time reflect important social changes. Using primary-source material as well as interviews, volume editor Jacilee Wray shows how Olympic Peninsula craftspeople participated in the development of the commercial basket industry, transforming useful but beautiful objects into creations appreciated as art. Other contributors address poaching of cedar and native grasses, and conservation efforts—contemporary challenges faced by basket makers. Appendices identify weavers and describe weaves attributed to each culture, making this an important reference for both scholars and collectors. Featuring more than 120 photographs and line drawings of historical and twentieth-century weavers and their baskets, this engaging book highlights the culture of distinct Native Northwest peoples while giving voice to individual artists, masters of a living art form.

Over 750 color photographs illustrate this long-awaited guide for collectors of vintage Native American basketry. Decades of basketry research inform the text, guiding basket lovers to a better understanding of these woven treasures. Clear images and concise descriptions, presented in an extended gallery showcasing hundreds of baskets, delineate specific tribal styles within Native North America's nine basketry regions: Southwest, Great Basin, California, Plateau, Northwest Coast, Arctic and Subarctic, Plains, Southeast, and Northeast. Unique to this book is an in-depth comparison of imported baskets being passed off as American Indian work. The cultural and historical background as well as the influence of the "Indian basket craze" are also examined. Valuable guidance on buying, selling, and caring for baskets includes a frank discussion of legal issues impacting basket collectors. Rounding out this essential reference are comprehensive regional bibliographies, Internet resource listings, and a directory of American museums exhibiting Native American baskets.