Mortar basket

Museum number:
1-12120
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm21010012120
Alternate number:
1205 (original number)
Accession number:
Acc.291 and Acc.294
Description:
Mortar basket with Yuki mending at bottom. Grimy from use. Twined basket has been repaired by rude coiling and sewing, at lower hoop and below. Parallel horizontal bands of white 2-faced overlay; top one zig-zagging parallelograms; below, a zig-zag design with zig-zag edges. A hoop has been stitched to the inside of the rim, re-sewn in one spot; one row of 3-strand twining shows just below the hoop. Tags: "Wailaki". Per Ralph Shanks: Twined mortar hopper basket with coiled repairs at base, used. For the twining: The warps are a peeled shoot. The wefts are conifer root with bear grass overlay designs. The twining is all plain twining except directly below the rim where there is one weft row of three strand twining followed by two rows of diagonal twining, mostly concealed under the rim wrapping. There is a reinforcing rod attached at the rim with wrapping of peeled and unpeeled shoot. The basket has an exterior workface, with a rightward work direction, and an up to the right of weft twist. The weft overlay is primarily on the exterior, with irregular overlay on the interior. The basket undulates. For the coiling at the base: There is a reinforcing rod lattice twined at the uppermost two coils, where the twining starts. The coils are made up first of splints and later on rods. The weft materials are primarily peeled redbud. The stitches are non-interlocking; with no split stitches on the workface, with a few split stitches on the back face. The workface is on the exterior, and the work direction is to the right, with a down to the right slant of weft twist.
Donor:
Samuel A. Barrett
Collection place:
Round Valley, Mendocino County, California
Verbatim coll. place:
California; Mendocino; Round Valley
Culture or time period:
Wailaki and Yuki
Maker or artist:
Sister of Matcatc
Collector:
Samuel A. Barrett
Collection date:
July 1907
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Coiled weaving, Mortar baskets (baskets by function), Mortar baskets (food processing), and Twined weaving
Function:
1.5 Household
Accession date:
1907
Context of use:
Mortar basket.
Department:
Native California (archaeology and ethnology)
Comment:
Samuel A. Barrett field notes, p. 74: "kol Wailaki." Photo: "15-6634" Remarks: "For materials see Supplementary Cat. 1 Page 59" Per Ruth Merrill: Warp is Willow, weft is Spruce root. White pattern is Beargrass. Willow hoops bound with Willow sapwood.
Images:
Hearst Museum object 1 of 3 titled Mortar basket, accession number 1-12120, described as Mortar basket with Yuki mending at bottom. Grimy from use. Twined basket has been repaired by rude coiling and sewing, at lower hoop and below. Parallel horizontal bands of white 2-faced overlay; top one zig-zagging parallelograms; below, a zig-zag design with zig-zag edges. A hoop has been stitched to the inside of the rim, re-sewn in one spot; one row of 3-strand twining shows just below the hoop. Tags: "Wailaki". Per Ralph Shanks: Twined mortar hopper basket with coiled repairs at base, used. For the twining: The warps are a peeled shoot. The wefts are conifer root with bear grass overlay designs. The twining is all plain twining except directly below the rim where there is one weft row of three strand twining followed by two rows of diagonal twining, mostly concealed under the rim wrapping. There is a reinforcing rod attached at the rim with wrapping of peeled and unpeeled shoot. The basket has an exterior workface, with a rightward work direction, and an up to the right of weft twist. The weft overlay is primarily on the exterior, with irregular overlay on the interior. The basket undulates. For the coiling at the base: There is a reinforcing rod lattice twined at the uppermost two coils, where the twining starts. The coils are made up first of splints and later on rods. The weft materials are primarily peeled redbud. The stitches are non-interlocking; with no split stitches on the workface, with a few split stitches on the back face. The workface is on the exterior, and the work direction is to the right, with a down to the right slant of weft twist.Hearst Museum object 2 of 3 titled Mortar basket, accession number 1-12120, described as Mortar basket with Yuki mending at bottom. Grimy from use. Twined basket has been repaired by rude coiling and sewing, at lower hoop and below. Parallel horizontal bands of white 2-faced overlay; top one zig-zagging parallelograms; below, a zig-zag design with zig-zag edges. A hoop has been stitched to the inside of the rim, re-sewn in one spot; one row of 3-strand twining shows just below the hoop. Tags: "Wailaki". Per Ralph Shanks: Twined mortar hopper basket with coiled repairs at base, used. For the twining: The warps are a peeled shoot. The wefts are conifer root with bear grass overlay designs. The twining is all plain twining except directly below the rim where there is one weft row of three strand twining followed by two rows of diagonal twining, mostly concealed under the rim wrapping. There is a reinforcing rod attached at the rim with wrapping of peeled and unpeeled shoot. The basket has an exterior workface, with a rightward work direction, and an up to the right of weft twist. The weft overlay is primarily on the exterior, with irregular overlay on the interior. The basket undulates. For the coiling at the base: There is a reinforcing rod lattice twined at the uppermost two coils, where the twining starts. The coils are made up first of splints and later on rods. The weft materials are primarily peeled redbud. The stitches are non-interlocking; with no split stitches on the workface, with a few split stitches on the back face. The workface is on the exterior, and the work direction is to the right, with a down to the right slant of weft twist.Hearst Museum object 3 of 3 titled Mortar basket, accession number 1-12120, described as Mortar basket with Yuki mending at bottom. Grimy from use. Twined basket has been repaired by rude coiling and sewing, at lower hoop and below. Parallel horizontal bands of white 2-faced overlay; top one zig-zagging parallelograms; below, a zig-zag design with zig-zag edges. A hoop has been stitched to the inside of the rim, re-sewn in one spot; one row of 3-strand twining shows just below the hoop. Tags: "Wailaki". Per Ralph Shanks: Twined mortar hopper basket with coiled repairs at base, used. For the twining: The warps are a peeled shoot. The wefts are conifer root with bear grass overlay designs. The twining is all plain twining except directly below the rim where there is one weft row of three strand twining followed by two rows of diagonal twining, mostly concealed under the rim wrapping. There is a reinforcing rod attached at the rim with wrapping of peeled and unpeeled shoot. The basket has an exterior workface, with a rightward work direction, and an up to the right of weft twist. The weft overlay is primarily on the exterior, with irregular overlay on the interior. The basket undulates. For the coiling at the base: There is a reinforcing rod lattice twined at the uppermost two coils, where the twining starts. The coils are made up first of splints and later on rods. The weft materials are primarily peeled redbud. The stitches are non-interlocking; with no split stitches on the workface, with a few split stitches on the back face. The workface is on the exterior, and the work direction is to the right, with a down to the right slant of weft twist.
Legacy documentation:
Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Mortar basket, accession number 1-12120, described as Mortar basket with Yuki mending at bottom. Grimy from use. Twined basket has been repaired by rude coiling and sewing, at lower hoop and below. Parallel horizontal bands of white 2-faced overlay; top one zig-zagging parallelograms; below, a zig-zag design with zig-zag edges. A hoop has been stitched to the inside of the rim, re-sewn in one spot; one row of 3-strand twining shows just below the hoop. Tags: "Wailaki". Per Ralph Shanks: Twined mortar hopper basket with coiled repairs at base, used. For the twining: The warps are a peeled shoot. The wefts are conifer root with bear grass overlay designs. The twining is all plain twining except directly below the rim where there is one weft row of three strand twining followed by two rows of diagonal twining, mostly concealed under the rim wrapping. There is a reinforcing rod attached at the rim with wrapping of peeled and unpeeled shoot. The basket has an exterior workface, with a rightward work direction, and an up to the right of weft twist. The weft overlay is primarily on the exterior, with irregular overlay on the interior. The basket undulates. For the coiling at the base: There is a reinforcing rod lattice twined at the uppermost two coils, where the twining starts. The coils are made up first of splints and later on rods. The weft materials are primarily peeled redbud. The stitches are non-interlocking; with no split stitches on the workface, with a few split stitches on the back face. The workface is on the exterior, and the work direction is to the right, with a down to the right slant of weft twist.Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Mortar basket, accession number 1-12120, described as Mortar basket with Yuki mending at bottom. Grimy from use. Twined basket has been repaired by rude coiling and sewing, at lower hoop and below. Parallel horizontal bands of white 2-faced overlay; top one zig-zagging parallelograms; below, a zig-zag design with zig-zag edges. A hoop has been stitched to the inside of the rim, re-sewn in one spot; one row of 3-strand twining shows just below the hoop. Tags: "Wailaki". Per Ralph Shanks: Twined mortar hopper basket with coiled repairs at base, used. For the twining: The warps are a peeled shoot. The wefts are conifer root with bear grass overlay designs. The twining is all plain twining except directly below the rim where there is one weft row of three strand twining followed by two rows of diagonal twining, mostly concealed under the rim wrapping. There is a reinforcing rod attached at the rim with wrapping of peeled and unpeeled shoot. The basket has an exterior workface, with a rightward work direction, and an up to the right of weft twist. The weft overlay is primarily on the exterior, with irregular overlay on the interior. The basket undulates. For the coiling at the base: There is a reinforcing rod lattice twined at the uppermost two coils, where the twining starts. The coils are made up first of splints and later on rods. The weft materials are primarily peeled redbud. The stitches are non-interlocking; with no split stitches on the workface, with a few split stitches on the back face. The workface is on the exterior, and the work direction is to the right, with a down to the right slant of weft twist.

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