Tags: "Wailaki" Per Ralph Shanks: Twined, much-used cooking pot that is heavily encrusted with food material. The basket probably has a cross warp starting knot but difficult to determine due to adhering food residue. Materials are conifer root weft with bear grass overlay and peeled shoot warp sticks. From the start there is ½ inch of 3 strand twining followed by plain twining to about 1 inch from the rim, followed by a single weft row of 3 strand twining, followed by ⅓ inch of plain twining, followed by a single weft row of lattice twining with a large rod inside the lattice twining. Above the lattice twining there is a single weft row of 3 strand twining followed by 2 weft rows of plain twining. The rim is fairly evenly trimmed. The work direction is to the right, the slant of weft is up and to the right, the work face is exterior. The design overlay is single sided on the exterior with remnants on the interior. The surface is undulating. The design is difficult to see due to food encrustation. 6 inches from the start there are 3 weft rows of beargrass overlay, then 4½ inches of stepped diagonal bands, followed by 1 row of plain twining in beargrass overlay, one weft row of undecorated conifer root, another weft row of beargrass overlay, followed by an inch of conifer root, followed by ¾ inch horizontal band of upward pointing triangles in beargrass overlay. Design is heavily obscured. Very old large cylindrical cooking basket with hoop at border. Very grimy with food residue. Overlay designs (2-faced type), hard to distinguish because worn and dirty. Near top, small triangle sitting on a line, 2 parallel lines below, then the major motif which is diagonal. Lowest stripe is 17.5 cm from the rim. Three-strand twining 2 cm radius from basket start, second row from rim, and 2.5 cm down one more row. Third row down, peeled shoots lattice twined on.
Donor:
Samuel A. Barrett
Collection place:
Round Valley, Mendocino County, California
Verbatim coll. place:
California; Mendocino; Round Valley
Culture or time period:
Wailaki
Collector:
Samuel A. Barrett
Collection date:
July 1907
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Bowls (vessels) and Twined weaving
Function:
1.5 Household
Accession date:
1907
Context of use:
Cooking basket.
Department:
Native California (archaeology and ethnology)
Dimensions:
height 19 centimeters
Comment:
Samuel A. Barrett field notes, p. 78: "lawe white Wailaki basket material" Photo: "15-8625" Remarks: "For materials see Supplementary Cat. 1 Page 59