Page:The Pima Indians.pdf/152

] (fig. 69, a). They have been supplanted by a wire sieve made by building a coiled basket rim around a piece of wire netting that has a mesh of 1 mm. (fig. 69, b). 

Bird traps, house doors, shelves, bird cages, and the like verge upon basketry, but these have all been described in connection with other objects of wood.

The hoods of cradles (described on p. 103) must be included in the list of articles of basketry in use by this people. They are of willow bark cut into strips about 5 mm, wide and woven in the simplest checker style. They are light and flexible, and thus better adapted for their purpose than if made of willow and devil's-claw splints. At the bottom of this hood or shield the strips are gathered into two wrapped bundles, which slip into place on each side of the first transverse bar beneath the baby's head. The convexity of the rolls prevents the hood from slipping past the bar and the weight upon them insures stability, while at the same time the hood may be readily detached.



Mats were formerly made by the Pimas of the cane, Phragmitis communis, that grew in abundance along the Gila until the water supply became too scant for the maintenance of this plant. They are now made of agave leaves by the Papagos, who barter them to the Pimas (fig. 70). They are woven in a diagonal pattern, each splint passing under three others before appearing again, and the wrong side being rough. The splints are softened by soaking at the time of weaving and become somewhat stiff when dried. The warp and woof are alike,