Basket

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Basket

Description

LOWER COLUMBIA: The basket in the foreground (NA 26) in one of the few well-documented objects in Willamette's collection and one of the rarest because of its age. It was given to the Rev. J.L. Parrish, a missionary and early trustee of the University, in the early 1840s by the Clatsop Indians on the Oregon coast. three rows of elk are topped by a row of birds believed to represent hell divers, a type of grebe. The tear in the rim allows us to better see how different decorative elements contribute to the basket's design. (NA 48) The rectangular wallet"" basket is, like its companion, an outstanding example of Lower Columbia wrapped twining. Each side of the basket has a different design, further demonstrating the weaver's talent."" Per Arthur Erickson 04/05/04, the Smithsonian owns a large wallet (Cat. No. 251626) with the same desing as this and from photographs, it appears to be as fine as this basket. Both of these baskets were probably woven by the same weaver. The basket at the Smithsonian was collected somewhere near the Columbia River during the Wilkes Exploring Expedition in 1841, which is about the same time the Reverend Parrish obtained his basket. Ancestral Dialogues label copy: The Reverend J. L. Parrish, a missionary and early trustee of Willamette University, was given this basket in the early 1840s by the Clatsop Indians on the Oregon coast, according to his descendents. Its design shows three rows of elk, which are topped by a row of birds believed to represent hell divers, a type of grebe. This is the oldest documented basket in the Hallie Ford Museum of Art collection.
Oregon