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From the Inside Front Cover

The stunning diversity of all North American Indian and Eskimo basket styles are thoroughly discussed in this beautiful book. These hand-crafted containers are both pleasing to the eye and important cultural artifacts which often have played major ceremonial and economic roles in native societies.

Destined to become a classic in Indian arts and anthropology studies, Indian Baskets, combines basket manufacture techniques, raw materials, forms, and decoration with information on native lifeways. More than 175 different regional and tribal styles from all parts of North America are documented here.

Readers will find the book indispensable for identifying baskets. The standardized terminology, identification keys, glossary, maps, and bibliographies add to its broad appeal. Hundreds of baskets specially photographed for this volume in color and in black-and-white enliven the pages. Many of the baskets are from the famous and unparalleled collections at the Peabody Museum of Harvard University, where the authors began their basketry research in the 1970’s.