362-123<BR> Las Vegas Paiute burden or seed basket; h. 35.5 cm., w. 38 cm.; willow, sinew, hide, cotton; ca. 1880.<BR> Conical burden baskets, mostly in diagonal twine weave, came in all sizes, from small ones used by little girls to imitate and assist their mothers in gathering a wide variety of edible plant food, to large ones measuring 18 inches in height and 16 inches across, also used to carry firewood and household goods while moving camp. On their seasonal round through their territory, Paiute bands collected lily bulbs, mescal roots and crowns, yucca and cactus fruits, berries, seeds, acorns, piñon nuts, and many other vegetal foodstuffs.<BR> To protect burden baskets against wear and tear, their outer base was often covered with a protective piece of rawhide, later harness leather, as in this specimen. The carrying strap is made of cotton, as are the loops with which it is affixed to the basket, secured on the inside with wooden pegs to protect the inside from tearing. The rims are reinforced by incorporating warp rods and an extra rod into a bundle around the rim, sewn tightly together. The burden baskets were secured on a woman's back by a tumpline across the forehead or the upper breast. Early Southern Paiute baskets are rarely decorated as their utilitarian function was of primary importance (Mason 1904:493-494; Steward 1933:272-273; Fowler and Dawson 1986:725; McGreevy and Whiteford 1985:15-27; Whiteford 1988:14,17-19; Fulkerson and Curtis 1995:38-39).<BR> <BR> 362-123, 124, 125 Twined Southern Paiute baskets<BR> The tribes of the semi-arid desert of the Great Basin lived to a substantial degree on a diet of wild plant foods. These were gathered in a seasonal round, determined by the annual harvest times of tubers, bulbs, roots, greens, fruits, seeds, and nuts. A variety of specialized baskets developed over time to gather, transport, store, prepare, and serve these foodstuffs.<BR> Twining is one of the oldest techniques with which plant fibers are woven into a variety of shapes, degrees of rigidity, and products, from flexible mats and bags to sturdy baskets and sandals. In this technique the Southern Paiutes wove winnowing trays, burden baskets, water jugs, cradles, seed beaters, and hats. In addition they produced coiled basketry: parching trays, cooking and eating baskets, and water jugs. Twined baskets were stronger and lighter than coiled burden baskets (Fowler and Dawson 1986:724-726; Whiteford 1988:15-24; Tisdale 2001:86).<BR> <BR> <BR> Deze kleine kegelvormige draag- of zadenmand is een van de drie gevlochten manden die Ten Kate bij de Las Vegas Paiutes heeft verzameld. Kegelvormige draagmanden waren er in allerlei maten, van kleine mandjes die jonge meisjes gebruikten om hun moeders te helpen en na te bootsen bij het verzamelen van eetbare zaden, tot grote waarin huisraad werd vervoerd. Tijdens zware lasten werd de mand op de rug gedragen met een riem die over het voorhoofd liep.<BR> <BR>