KAROK BASKETS

November 22, 2019 1 min read

Karok Baskets

The basketry process of the Karok is always twining. The usual materials are hazel rod for the warp, roots of the digger or the yellow pine for the weft, and Xerophyllum grass for white overlay. The basket maker uses bark of the maidenhair fern for black, and fibers from the stem of Woodwardia fern, dyed in alder-bark juice in the mouth of the workwoman, for red. Represented in the plate are the receptacle for the storage of seeds and nuts, the burden-basket, the winnowing tray, various sizes of mush-baskets and food containers, and the cradle-basket.

Edward S. Curtis
The North America Indian - The Vanishing Race