Long considered valuable works of art, Indian baskets of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska also give insight into the cultures which nurtured their creation. Anthropologists, collectors, and art lovers together revere the lowly basket - here elevated to its rightful prominence. Unlike pottery, baskets are fragile, wore out fairly quickly, and are subject to rot and deterioration from the weather. Therefore, they are rarer and quite valuable. The techniques and materials employed are discussed, first in a general way, then as they relate to the various Indian tribes of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Author Allan Lobb describes the history of basketmaking, both as it was seen by the early explorers and as it has been discovered by the studies of anthropologists through the years. Professional photographer Art Wolfe, world famous for his outstanding images, has photographed the baskets in the landscapes of their origin. With irreplaceable baskets, the landscapes of their origin. With irreplaceable baskets, the permissions necessary to take the fragile baskets from their places of safety for this photography, show the trust the collectors have in hi as a person as well as their desire to have these valuable items preserved in photography. Together, text and photographs present a woven pattern as intricate and varied as the Indian baskets themselves. There are chapters on the Alaskan Eskimo, Aleut, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Haida and Kwakiutl, West Coast People, Thompson, Lillooet, Chilcotin, Coast Salish and Stalo, North Puget Sound and the Cascades, South Puget Sound and Hood Canal, Southwest Washington, Cowlitz, Wasco-Wishram, Yakima and Klickitat, and Nez Perce. There are maps, a bibliography and an index.
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