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Archaeology
Wet site/Dry
site finds:
Because of acidic
soil, basketry material normally doesn't survive long in Northwest
archaeological sites. But in very wet (oxygen-excluding) or very
dry (water-excluding) conditions, basketry items may be well preserved
for thousands of years. The Conway wet site basketry fragments have
been treated with polyethylene glycol, which blackens the original
material but keeps it from deteriorating. The Fort Rock dry site
sandals also have been stabilized. By looking at these ancient basketry
materials, we can study how weaving techniques have changed over
time. Some techniques have remained unchanged for thousands of years,
while others seem to have disappeared.
click on
a thumbnail image for a larger photo
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Basketry
Hat(?);
Skagit River Delta, Washington
595-745 years old;
No. 1983-13/5
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Net Weight with Line; Skagit River Delta,
Washington
595-745 years old;
No. 45SK59b/611
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Pair
of Sagebrush Sandals Fort Rock area, Oregon
7,000-10,000 years old
Gift of Dr. Harold Bergen, No. 1989-57/33-17
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Basketry
Matting; Skagit River Delta, Washington
595-745 years old;
No.
45SK59b/53
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This
ancient rain hat shows how Puget Sound people dealt
with the climate of western Washington. The pointed peak,
flaring shape, and cedar bark material helped shed water.
An inner cap was woven right in.
Archaeologists excavated this hat in 1976 from Wapato
Creek in Tacoma, along with remnants of a fish weir
and fiber netting.
400-1,000 years old; Tacoma, Washington;
No.1983-72/1
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The
Burke Museum asked Chinook/Puyallup weaver
Karen Reed-Peterwhose grandmother had lived at Wapato
Creekto re-create the ancient hat. The old
hat was so well preserved that Reed-Peter could deduce
how the inner cap was woven in.
The double-hat style continues to be made, although later
hats are less pointed.
Made by Karen Reed-Peter, 2000; Chinook/Puyallup; No.
2000-124/1; Purchased with funds donated by Lawrence
Christian
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_________________________________________________________________________________________________
All material ©Burke Museum of Natural
History and Culture, 2001
theburke@u.washington.edu
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