Show I I INDIANS MADE WATER TIGHT GRASS BASKETS An AH Industry which industry which made the Colum Colum- bia bin River RI Indians famous was the manufacture of ot baskets formed of ce cedar ce- ce dar bark and bear grass ao so closely Interwoven that It was water watertight without the aid of either gum or 01 resin The Ino form of ot the baskets was generally conic conlo or rather the segment frustum of a cone of which the smaller end was vps at the bottom of the b basket ket And being mado made of all aU sizes sires from that of the smallest cup to the capacity of ot five or six gallons they answered the double purpose of ot a covering for tor the head or to contain water Some of ot them were highly ornamented with strands of bear grass woven Into fig fig- ures tires of or various arlous colors which required great labor It was for tor the construction of these baskets that the bear grass formed an article of considerable traffic Bear grass grows only near the snowy re re- re gion of ot the hl high h mountains Th The blade which I U I two feet teet long and about three eights of an Inch wide Is smooth i stron strong and pliant The young blades particularly from their not nOL be be be- lag exposed to lo the sun bun and air have haye an appearance of ot great neatness and they were generally preferred for tor the making of ot Som Sone dollar dollar-a- dollar a ear men mart apparently apparently apparently cost the federal government something more than appeared on the face Omaha World II |