THE
CHEMA W A
AM ERICAN
3
side of these baskets is a form of technique w hich also co nstitutes th e o r
nam entatio n . It is not som ething th a t is overlaid or sewed on, b u t is a
part of th e te x tu re effected in the process of the m aking. T h e m ethod of
adding th is ornam entation in strip s of cherry bark, cedar bast and grass
stem s layed w ith m ahonia is unique. T h e strip of colored bark or grass
is laid dow n and caught under a passing stitch; before an o th er stitch is
taken th is one is bent forw ard to cover the last stitch, doubled on itself
so as to be u nderneath the n ex t stitch , and so on w ith each one, it is bent
forw ard and backw ard so th a t th e sew ing is en tirely concealed.
T he stu d en t of basketry learns the lore of passing race; learns the
various m aterials and color and tex tu re, the technical elem ents and their
forms, and the m ethods of assem bling them .
I he lo \e of decoration th a t is seen in the In d ian basketry was given a
more grotesque latitu d e when it cam e to personal adornm ent. T h e I n
dians of th e Colum bia river region once had a fashion of piercing th eir
ears and noses, in sertin g th erein strin g s of beads and hiq u a shells, the
latter b ein g h ig h ly prized. Collars of b ears’ claws were cherished by th e
m en, w hile elk teeth were popular w ith th e woman and children. D eer
skin garm en ts were decorated w ith shells and other articles th at caused
the w earer to flash and jin g le before th e eyes and ears of his neighbors.
Before m odern cooking ultensils came into use am ong the In d ian s,
they used tro u g h s or bowls hewn from cedar, and baskets woven from
willow w ithes and roots, or grasses, m ade so tig h t th at they held w ater.
Into these they placed food to be cooked, and by m eans of heated stones
cast in upon the food, th is was cooked and made ready for use. F ine
specim ens of these ancient vessels may be seen today at W ishram village,
six miles above T h e Dalles, on the W ashington side of the river. T he
ow ners w ould not part w ith these old utensils, m ade by the red man of
a past age, for they are heirloom s and prized highly. So long have the
wooden bowls been in use th a t they are black as ebony and sm ooth as
satin . M any are carved beautifully and are very artistic from an Indian
stan d p o in t.
Spoons m adeof th e horn of th e big horn sheep w ere in use w hen Lewis
and C lark cam e down the river on their voyage of exploration of the
great west. In some of the villages along th e Colum bia river these old
spoons are shown tru sted visitors today, spoken of w ith great reverence
anti pride as som ething th a t links the m isty past with the glow ing pres
en t. W hen horn could not be procured from w hich to form the spoons,
wood was used, and some very fine ones were m ade, carved with sym
bols, used to convey some special th o u g h t to the m ind of the one using
it.
A lthough the red men w ent on long h u n tin g trip s for the purpose of
securing m eats of various kinds, th e staple article o f fo o d was th a t of