The American Indian Quarterly

This examination of basketry, a significant Indigenous art form, appears to represent primarily a museological perspective. Four of the five authors are or have been museum curators or docents, and the contributions of numerous individuals affiliated with museums are acknowledged. Virtually every page of text is accompanied by historic and contemporary photographs, giving the book at first glance the feel of a high-quality catalog. However, one becomes aware very quickly of the scholarly tenor, which nevertheless, to its credit, manages to keep anthropological jargon within bounds.

After a very a informative ethnohistorical survey of Owens Valley Paiutes and Panamint Shoshones, two themes seem to emerge: (1) the baskets as material culture with their associated weaving techniques and (2) a series of biographical sketches of especially talented weavers and prolific collectors of baskets. The detailed explanations of twining and coiling are certainly quite edifying for the uninitiated. And while the cursory life stories and photographs of past and present weavers help to contextualize the descriptions and pictures of the baskets, the extension of that approach to cover some of the major collectors has an oversaturating effect and ends up distracting from the central subject matter. The importance of dedicating an entire chapter to the mostly Anglo businessmen and hobbyists appreciative of Indigenous basketry is not convincingly justified. The point that their profit-driven motives not only created an economic incentive for Native weavers to continue their tradition but also effected changes in weaving practices could have been made without insisting on biographical summaries of each individual with large inventories of baskets. Instead, that [End Page 657] space should have been reserved for the textual and aesthetic aspects of Owens Valley basketry.

Regrettably, no attempt is made to link the various basket designs to the mythological texts of the two cultures. The authors are content merely to state the obvious by offering such nonexplanations as "[o]ne of Hanson's favorite design elements was a stylized rattlesnake" (71) or "[Hunter's] three-rod, made-for-sale baskets replicated flora and fauna of the region, frequently depicting chuckwalla lizards, birds, cacti, and bighorn sheep" (73). If this is all that can be said of these crucial mythic signifiers, then this book amounts to little more than butterfly collecting. Ironically, the relevant ethnological literature that contains this essential information is included in the bibliography. The thoroughly religious approach to life in Indigenous cultures makes this omission indeed significant.

The second major omission is almost unforgivable. What is completely ignored in this book is the idea that once a weaver decides to add nonfunctional designs to a utilitarian object, she is not only practicing a craft but also engaging in a true art form. However, as with religion, art is not a distinct domain in Native cultures. Unfortunately, other than characterizing designs on the baskets as "geometric" or "realistic," the authors neglected to provide even a rudimentary aesthetic assessment. We are merely told that common design elements include bands of vertical or horizontal zigzags, triangles, diamonds, crossed lines, a serrated design angled off of slanted lines, and combinations of these elements (39).

Yet the photographs of the baskets clearly reveal an emphasis on bilateral symmetry, which is a widespread concept of beauty and harmony. The fundamental concepts of symmetry are probably derived from the geometrical patterns present in the natural environment. In addition, the weavers seem to experiment with dynamic symmetry consisting of uneven proportions of images in order to generate variety, perhaps even tension. One way in which they achieve this dynamic quality is by serrating or creating a notched-edge design. In addition to the already pleasing textures of willow, bulrush, and yucca root, the surfaces are further energized by the alternation of active and static design elements. As demonstrated in two Panamint Shoshone examples (42), dynamic movement is also accomplished through the alternation of...