Indian Basketry

US: Dover Publications, 1972. Paperback. Good. Since it first publication in 1901, this pioneering study by George Wharton James, once a leading collector and authority, has become a valuable sourc e book for American Indian basketry. From Poma mush baskets to Paiute dicin g trays, Indian Basketry traces the origin, development, and fundamental pr inciples of Indian basket designs for the major tribal units in Southwester n United States and Pacific Coast, with occasional comments on the basket w eaving of a number of other North American tribes. Author of several books on the Southwest, George James has used his extensi ve experience in the field to compile indispensable information (much gathe red directly through interviews with Indian basketmakers) covering nearly e very aspect of Indian basketry: esthetics, designs, dyes, and coloration, w eaving and stitching techniques (including the bamtush and dah-lah methods) , basket types, tribal variation, and functional considerations, offering c lear instructions for those who may be interested in reproducing these anci ent American crafts. James also includes a description of various native we aving materials such as pine root, bark, sumac, willow, twigs, fern stalks, grass and palm fronds, with suggestions regarding the ways in which the In dians wove shells, feathers, beads, leather, and pine needles into their ba sket designs. The book is a valuable aid for the artist, designer, and craftsman, or even for the beginner, who may wish to re-create authentic and often extinct basket forms and decorative motifs. It is also most useful to the collector, cultural historians, ethnologist, scholar, or buff, who desires to know more about sp.