The Washington State History Museum in Tacoma has a large display of American Indian baskets.
The double box designed used on the basket shown above was used by several different tribes in the Puget Sound area.
Suquamish
The Suquamish are a Southern Coast Salish people who speak a dialect of Southern Lushootseed. Their homeland was in the Agate Pass area.
Shown above is a Suquamish coiled and imbricated work basket.
Skokomish
The Skokomish are a Southern Coast Salish people who speak a dialect of Twana. Their homeland is at the elbow of the Hood Canal and on the Skokomish River.
Shown above is a Skokomish basket woven by Hazel Underwood.
Yakama
The Yakama (also spelled Yakima in some older sources) are a Columbia Plateau people whose language is a dialect of the Penutian language family.
Shown above is a Yakama basket.
According to the display:
“The hard-coiled basket had many uses, among them the gathering of roots and berries. This tumpline or carrying strap is unusual as it has retained the brightness of the aniline (commercial) dyes.”
Muckleshoot
The Muckleshoot are a Southern Coast Salish people whose language is a dialect of Southern Lushootseed.
Shown above is a Muckleshoot basket. During the treaty era, several distinct tribes were relocated to the Muckleshoot Reservation.
Duwamish
The Duwamish are a Southern Coast Salish people whose language is a dialect of Southern Lushootseed. Their homeland was on the Black River.
Shown above is a Duwamish basket. This is a contemporary, non-traditional basket.
Upper Skagit
The Upper Skagit are a Southern Coast Salish people whose language is a dialect of Northern Lushootseed. Their homeland was on the Skagit River.
Shown above is an Upper Skagit basket.
Wasco
The Wasco are a Chinook-speaking people.
Shown above is a Wasco basket.
Shown above is a Wasco gathering basket from the late nineteenth century.
Nez Perce
The Nez Perce are a Plateau tribe whose homelands including northeastern Oregon, portions of eastern Washington, and northern Idaho. Their language is a part of the Sahaptin language family.
Shown above are Nez Perce flat bags or cornhusk bags.
Clallam
The Clallam are a Central Coast Salish people who occupied the northern slope of the Olympic Peninsula.
Shown above is an open-weave Clallam spruce root clam basket with tumpline.
Twana
The Twana are a Southern Coast Salish People whose homeland was in the area of the Hood Canal.
Shown above is a Twana basket made from cattail, cedar bark, and beargrass.
Puyallup, Nisqually
Shown above is a fully imbricated Nisqually cedar root basket.
Shown above is a Nisqually basket. The Nisqually are a Puget Sound people.
The basket shown above is probably Puyallup or Nisqually. This is a coiled and imbricated basket.
Shown above is a Puyallup/Nisqually basket. This is a coiled cedar root basket with beargrass and horsetail root imbrication.
Indians 101
Twice each week Indians 101 explores various American Indian topics. More about American Indian baskets from this series:
Indians 101: Some Northern Northwest Coast Baskets (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Feathered Pomo Baskets (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Columbia River Basketry (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Plateau Flat Bags at the Maryhill Museum (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Timbisha Shoshone Baskets (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Suquamish Basketry (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Plateau Women's Gathering Bags (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Some Plateau Baskets (Photo Diary)
