Basketry Discussion

       Four types of weaving, plain, coiling, twining, and twilling were used in the construction of the artifacts recovered. Generally, the basketry, except in the broadest terms are non-diagnostic. The exception to this is D.U. 389, Figure 7, a coiled basket fragment. Examples of this type weave can be found in any part of the North America, where there is preservation. The following is a brief summary of the occurrence of different types of basketry.


Twilled Basketry
       In the Anasazi area twilled basketry was first being made by Basket Maker III time. While in the Mogollon area even twilled basketry has been found as early as the Georgetown phase (A.D. 500-700) (Bluhm, 1952, 322) which is roughly equivalent, temporally, to Basket Maker III time (A.D. 450-750). However, it more commonly occurs later, in the three Circle phase in the Mogollon area and Pueblo III time (A.D. 1200) in the Anasazi area (Bluhm, 1952, 178).
       "Patterned float weave basketry...is fairly widespread in occurrence. Such weaves were used by pre-historic and historic southwestern and southeastern groups and by historic eastern Plains Indians." (Scholtz, 1975, 107) "In the Southwestern Anasazi area the Pueblo Indians were making patterned float weave baskets of yucca by Pueblo I (A.D. 750-900) time."(Scholtz,1975,105) However, other than the similarity of the geometrical designs, she sees little similarities between the Southwestern and Eastern specimens, in the overall structures and decorations (Scholtz, 1975, 107).


Coiling
       This technique is a fairly rare one. The only other examples known are from the Hueco Mts and one or two S.W. sites. In all cases the technique is late (post 500A.D)"


Twinning
        "The use of the twining technique in the manufacture of fabric and bags, and to a large extent basketry, by the prehistoric Indians of the United States was a wide spread practice. The earliest known twining in the Southwest is that of the Basket Maker II (250 B.C-A.D. 450) Anasazi groups, who manufactured bags, fabrics, and some baskets by the use of the twining technique." (Scholtz, 1975, 132)
       Twined basketry fragments were found in Cordova Cave of the Mogollon area, but their occurrence there is late in the stratigraphic sequence (Bluhm 1952,315-316).
       Twined basketry was more common prehistorically in the Trans-Pecos area of western Texas. There are regular and alternate-pair twined baskets in the material from the Big Bend aspect (Smith, 1941, 137). This aspect probably dates between A.D. 600 or 700 and A.D. 1300 (Lehmer 1960: 121-122, fig 2).(Scholtz,1975,135)