Cap

Museum number:
1-1594
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm21010001594
Alternate number:
178 (original number)
Accession number:
Acc.17 and Acc.86
Description:
Hat; twined. Warp is Hazel (Corylus cornuta californica), weft is Conifer root (Pinophyta). White pattern is Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax). Black pattern is Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum). Yellow pattern is porcupine quills (Erethizon dorsatum) dyed by soaking with lichen. Flat top. Plain twined. 3 strand twining at start, and two single rows which define design zones. 2 faced overlay.
Donor:
Phoebe Apperson Hearst
Collection place:
Northwestern California
Verbatim coll. place:
California
Culture or time period:
Yurok
Collector:
Alfred L. Kroeber
Collection date:
1901
Materials:
Common beargrass, Conifer root, Hazel shoots, Maidenhair fern, and Porcupine quill
Taxon:
Adiantum pedatum, Corylus cornuta californica, Erethizon dorsatum, Pinophyta, and Xerophyllum tenax
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Basketry (object genre), Caps (headgear), and Twined weaving
Function:
2.4 Fine Clothes and Accoutrements not used exclusively for status or religious purposes
Accession date:
1903 and November 20, 1901
Department:
Native California (archaeology and ethnology)
Dimensions:
17 centimeters and height 8.5 centimeters
Comment:
Photo: 15-2704. Published: AAE II, 4, pl 19, Fig 4. For materials see Supplementary catalogue 1, p 87. Per Ron Johnson and Colleen Kelley Marks exhibit catalog "Quillwork in Native American Baskets from Northwest California" - " This woman's ceremonial cap is the earliest documented porcupine quill cap among the Yurok. The flint design is the most common mark and the quills in the pattern of a snake or trail is also frequent. It is unusual that the interior design has so many rows...The dye appears to be staghorn lichen, which is traditional...This cap looks newer and has probably not had ceremonial use. It was most likely "made-for-the-trade" to be sold at a higher price because of its unique early use of quills.
Loans:
S1955-1956 #4: Department of Anthropology (UC Berkeley) (September 16, 1955–July 26, 1957), S1968-1969 #30: Project EPOCH/David Wayne Peri (October 28, 1968–December 31, 1968), S1975-1976 #93: Department of Anthropology (UC Berkeley) (June 3, 1976–June 3, 1976), and S1977-1978 #8: Mills College/Dorothy Washburn (September 20, 1977–September 21, 1977)
Images:
Hearst Museum object 1 of 2 titled Cap, accession number 1-1594, described as Hat; twined. Warp is Hazel (Corylus cornuta californica), weft is Conifer root (Pinophyta). White pattern is Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax). Black pattern is Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum). Yellow pattern is porcupine quills (Erethizon dorsatum) dyed by soaking with lichen. Flat top. Plain twined. 3 strand twining at start, and two single rows which define design zones. 2 faced overlay.Hearst Museum object 2 of 2 titled Cap, accession number 1-1594, described as Hat; twined. Warp is Hazel (Corylus cornuta californica), weft is Conifer root (Pinophyta). White pattern is Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax). Black pattern is Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum). Yellow pattern is porcupine quills (Erethizon dorsatum) dyed by soaking with lichen. Flat top. Plain twined. 3 strand twining at start, and two single rows which define design zones. 2 faced overlay.
Legacy documentation:
Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Cap, accession number 1-1594, described as Hat; twined. Warp is Hazel (Corylus cornuta californica), weft is Conifer root (Pinophyta). White pattern is Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax). Black pattern is Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum). Yellow pattern is porcupine quills (Erethizon dorsatum) dyed by soaking with lichen. Flat top. Plain twined. 3 strand twining at start, and two single rows which define design zones. 2 faced overlay.Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Cap, accession number 1-1594, described as Hat; twined. Warp is Hazel (Corylus cornuta californica), weft is Conifer root (Pinophyta). White pattern is Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax). Black pattern is Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum). Yellow pattern is porcupine quills (Erethizon dorsatum) dyed by soaking with lichen. Flat top. Plain twined. 3 strand twining at start, and two single rows which define design zones. 2 faced overlay.

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