Illustrated Catalogue of a Portion of the Collections Made During the Field Season of 1881 / Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1881-82, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1884, pages 427-510

by William Henry Holmes

[ VEGETAL SUBSTANCES.]

63063. Basket sieve said to be used to separate the finer from the coarser particles of pounded corn. The coarse meal thus obtained is boiled and allowed to ferment. This is used as food and is called connawhana. The sieve is made of split cane carefully smoothed; some of the strips are dyed red and others brown. A simple ornamental design is worked in these colors. The opening is square, with rounded corners, the sides measuring 14 inches. The depth is 5 inches. The bottom is flat and loosely woven.

63072. A bottle-shaped basket, with constricted neck and rectangular body, used by the Cherokees for carrying fish. Height, 11 inches; width of mouth, 4 inches; diameter of body, 6 inches. It is made of strips of white oak or hickory, one-fourth of an inch in thickness.

63073. Basket made of strips of white oak intended for the storage of seeds and for other household uses. The rim is about 5 inches in diameter; the body is 8 inches in diameter, the base being rectangular and flat.

63074. Basket, made of cane, used for storing seed.

63076. Two baskets, made of cane, probably used for household purposes. They are neatly ornamented with simple designs, produced by the use of colored strips. The rims are oval in shape, and the bases rectangular. The larger will hold about half a bushel, the smaller about a gallon.

63077. Small basket with a handle, made of splints of white oak. Yellow strips of hickory bark are used to ornament the rim. Other colors are obtained by using bark of different trees, maple, walnut, etc.

63078. Small cup or dish carved from laurel or cucumber wood. It is very neatly made. The depth is about 1 inch; the width 5 inches.

63064. Large spoon, carved from laurel or cucumber wood, used by the Cherokees in handling the connawhana, or fermented meal. The carving is neatly done. The heart-shaped bowl is 6 inches in length, 4 in width, and about 2 in depth. The handle is 12 inches long, and is embellished at the end by a knob and ring. The knob is carved to represent a turtle's or snake's head.