Indians 101: Oregon Coast Indian Baskets (Photo Diary)

by Ojibwa for Native American Netroots

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Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017 Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017 at 8:31:35am PST

The North Lincoln County Historical Museum in Lincoln City, Oregon has two floors of displays relating to local history. The region was originally the homeland for the Siletz and Alesa Indians and the museum has a small display of American Indian basketry.

For thousands of years prior to the European invasion, American Indians occupied the Central Oregon Coast area. In his book The Indians of Yaquina Bay, E.Wayne Courtney writes:

“Since there is no written record, the verification of the presence of humans during prehistoric times has been mainly the responsibility of the work of carbon-dating archeologists. On the Oregon coast, the analyses of shell middens and ancient housepits have been the primary source for getting prehistoric evidence.”

E. Wayne Courtney also explains:

“Middens are really heaps of shell bones and tools which were left by ancient people who camped and worked close to the ocean.”

The Museum display describes the Central Oregon Coast Native Americans this way:

“These relatively peaceful peoples shared a mild climate and plentiful foods obtained through hunting, fishing and harvesting root, nut and berry crops.”

As in other American Indian cultures, the Siletz weavers were women and the art and craft of making baskets was passed from the older weavers to young girls. According to the Museum display:

“Fiber, form and individual finish all assure that each Siletz basket is unique. In addition to this, the symbols used to decorate each work are a traditional concept expressed in visual form, making Indian basketry an art form, not just a craft.”