Pomo Indian basketry (A Rio Grande classic)

To make their trademark sun baskets, the Pomo covered a basket completely with the vivid red feathers of the pileated woodpecker until the surface resembled the smoothness of the bird itself. With the feathers--30 to 50 to every inch--the Indians fastened beads to the basket's border and hung pendants of polished abalone shell from the basket itself. Pomo women sometimes spent months or years making such gift baskets. Pomo baskets were not only gifts, Archambault says. Baskets were central to Pomo life. Featherless woven baskets of different sizes and shapes were made mostly by women for a variety of purposes: Pomo children were cradled in baskets; acorns--a major food staple--were harvested in great conical burden baskets, and wickerwork fish traps and quail traps--made by Pomo men--helped furnish other seasonal foods. In fact, food was stored, cooked and served in baskets, some watertight. In earth colors of black, tan and deep brown, the baskets were often covered or accented with tiny colored songbird feathers, clamshell disks (which once served the Pomo as money), glass beads, abalone pendants and stones. They brought in good money for Pomo women, who could earn between $30 and $60 per basket. It beat doing white people's laundry at $1 a day or picking stringbeans for $1.50; what's more, it could be done at home. Often, several generations of a family participated, mothers teaching their daughters and granddaughters.

At the time of its publication in 1908, Pomo Indian Basketry was the most complete and detailed study of a single Native American basketry tradition. This edition is supplemented with two early articles and the introduction identifies a community of talented Pomoan basket weavers who were the sources of Barrett's collections and information.