Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability

CAS Anthropology Collections Database


Catalog Number

CAS 0370-0077A,B   CAS 0370-0077A,B; Basket with lid
Category Basketry
Object Name Basket with lid
Culture Aleut
Global Region North America
Country USA
State/Prov./Dist. Alaska
County Aleutians West
Other Geographic Data Aleutian Islands: Attu Island
Maker's Name Unknown
Date of Manufacture ca. early 1900s
Collection Name Elkus Collection (Native American)
Materials Rye grass (Elymus sp.) stems; Silk thread
Description Cylindrical basket with flat base and vertical sides, woven entirely in closed plain twining except for four paired rows on the base where the warps are exposed and crossed and a single row of 3-strand twining at the junction of the base and sides; Warp and weft material is rye grass stems; Designs are of silk thread, are woven in false embroidery technique, and consist of band of stacked triangles (in colors of orange, purple, pink, green and red) around midsection of basket, flanked above and below by band of open terraced diamonds in pink and pale blue, all framed between narrow terraced zigzag lines in yellow and brown; Matching round and slightly domed lid has short side that fits over rim of basket and central flat-topped knob handle on short thin stem; Lid is woven in closed plain twining; Designs on lid consist of concentric green, yellow, red, and purple bands on knob handle and similar motifs in similar colors on wide shoulder of lid as those found on basket.
Dimensions (cm) Height = 11.0, Max Diam = 12.8