There are three types of traditional baskets made by native peoples. One of them is the twined or wicker basket, usually made from pliable shoots like willow or from long roots like spruce. Another is the woven basket, made from palm fronds, cattail leaves, or thin strips of bark. The third is the coiled basket, which is more complex. The basic process involves using bundles of some long fibrous material like grass, vine stems, or pine needles that are wrapped with strips of bark (like sumac, elm or willow) to form a coiled basket. Having a tighter weave, coiled baskets are useful for holding small loose materials like seeds or flour. If waterproofed with pitch, they can also be used to hold water.
I learned how to make coiled baskets many years ago (basket-weaving being a traditional hippie pastime). A little while ago I happened to be sitting in a park having lunch when I noticed the thick layer of pine needles around me, gathered a bunch up, bought a roll of raffia (made from palm-tree bark) online, and decided to try my hand at it again.
A demonstration of the process: