WHAT THE BASKET MEANS TO THE INDIAN : Page 170

In a deftly woven bassinet, ornamented with shells, gay feathers or bits of bright cloth, such as any baby would enjoy, the Indian mother ties her papoose. Hanging the cradle from a sheltering tree while at work about the camp, or suspending it from her strong shoulders when she must wan' der afield, she allows the precious contents to interrupt her regular labors but little. Here, as in everything she makes, is the simple, perfect adaptation of the article to its uses which gives primitive handiwork everywhere so great an interest. It is only after we attain civilization that the meaningless multiplication of the unnecessaries begins.