Attu Island / Chichagof Bay, Aleutian Islands / Attu Quad, Alaska, United States, North America
Accession Date:
11 Jun 1976
Collection Date:
1935
Notes:
From card: "Cylindrical basket with top fitting over the rim. Small hollow knob has seeds as a rattle. Very finely woven of tan grass in plain twining with embroidered bands top and bottom and four stars spaced around the middle. Made in 1935 by protege of Maggie. Illus.: Hndbk. N. Amer. Ind., Vol. 5, Arctic, fig. 4B, pg. 168." Handbook caption notes that this Aleut grass basket was made with two-strand twining. "Basket with embroidered designs and rattling seeds in the lid top. The bottom was worked in a type of net stitch that produces a pattern and quickly increases circumference. The bottom was suspended from a string or put over a form to hold it upside down, and weaving proceeded from left to right." Handbook figure for the basket includes a photo of the side and bottom of the basket, and drawings illustrating two-strand twining method and method of net stitch used on bottom of basket.
This object is on loan to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, from 2010 through 2027.
Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on this artifact http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=362, retrieved 7-17-2013: Basket. "When you pick it you say a little prayer, thanking the grass for letting us have some of it, and that we won't abuse it ... It's easier to weave if it is moist. If it's not so moist it breaks all the time. You have to do that as you go along. We usually keep a little glass of water to dip our fingers in." -Maria Turnpaugh, 2003 Grass storage baskets were traditionally made to hold dried fish, roots, and meat; other types were for gathering beach foods and plants. Small, round, lidded baskets like this one were invented in the nineteenth century and made primarily for sale. Designs were added using dyed grass, split spruce root, silk embroidery thread, and yarn. Grass for baskets is gathered in the summer on coastal hillsides; the weaver bundles, ages, sorts, dries, and splits the stems to prepare them. At least eight weaving patterns are historically known. From elders' discussions of the parka in 2003 (see web page cited above for the full entries) discussion with Mary N. Bourdukofsky, Vlass Shabolin, Maria Turnpaugh and Daria Dirks (Tanadgusix Foundation) at the National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of the American Indian, 4/07/2003-4/11/2003. Also participating: Aron Crowell and Bill Fitzhugh (NMNH) and Suzi Jones (AMHA). Maria Turnpaugh: Wow, I recognize this one. That's the most beautiful work. Mary Bourdukofsky: Attu? Maria Turnpaugh: Attu. Look at that small cross-stitch. Aron Crowell: You knew right away it was from Attu? Maria Turnpaugh: Oh, yes. Aron Crowell: Is that because there's a distinctive style? Mary Bourdukofsky: Yes. Maria Turnpaugh: That weaving, it's like cloth.
Daria Dirks: I thought Atka weavers were the best. Maria Turnpaugh: Mm-hmm. You can't beat Attu baskets, and there aren't anymore. Aron Crowell: Is the weaving technique the same all throughout the Aleutian Islands? Maria Turnpaugh: It's the same, but [the difference is] the fineness of the grass. They have the best grass. It's soft. I think Attu-Atka has the best grass. Mary Bourdukofsky: You know we tried-with your mom Florence-we tried beach grass at St. Paul. It was really hard, it broke easy. I don't know why. Maria Turnpaugh: Too close to the salt water I think. You have to get it up out of the sea spray, kind of up in the hills. They don't have big patches, but be sure you don't take the root out. You cut them so the grass will grow up again and don't take too many from one spot. Aron Crowell: What are the Unangax^ names for it. Mary Bourdukofsky: Qaag^ax^. (Grass.) Aron Crowell: Do you harvest the grass when it's green? Mary Bourdukofsky: Yes, in the summertime. Maria Turnpaugh: Before the inner blade is unfurled. Daria Dirks: There's a certain time, I think my Russian-Aleut friend did it at the end of July. Maria Turnpaugh: There's different times. Aron Crowell: Are there special spots around the island where people know there is really good grass for baskets?
Maria Turnpaugh: Yes, but so much of it now is on private property it's hard to get good grass. ... Aron Crowell: Are there any sayings about grass or beliefs about grass that are important when you're picking it or how about using it? Maria Turnpaugh: Oh, you say a little prayer, thanking the grass for letting us have some of it, and that we won't abuse it. Preparing grass Maria Turnpaugh: You tear off the three outer leaves and throw them away. Then you cut down as far as you can, and you take that grass-sometimes it's that tall [approximately three feet]-and you get a bundle about like this [arms full], as much as you can hold, and you take it and put it in a gunnysack. You put them under your porch or somewhere, and everyday look at them and turn them so they don't mold or anything. Or you can put them on a hillside and let them naturally turn. But it's not good [to leave them outside] where there's many eagles. When they're all yellow, you take more outer leaves and take one leaf that's unfurled-most of them are about eighteen inches long. You clean all of that bundle, then you clean the inner ones-you'll have a bundle as big as your wrist [of the inner blades]. By the time you've sorted it out [two blade types] and split that inner blade on the outer edges, which they use for the weavers [outer part of blade]. And then the center you use for the weaves, that's the legs hanging down. Aron Crowell: Split it with your fingernail? Maria Turnpaugh: You're supposed to, but I don't have fingernails. I usually use a needle. Aron Crowell: So the weavers are the ones that go around the basket? Maria Turnpaugh: Yes. Aron Crowell: And the weaves are the ones that go- Maria Turnpaugh: Hanging down. By the time you're ready to weave a basket, you have about that much [circumference of middle finger] for your weavers and maybe about that much [circumference of pinkie finger] for your weaves. Aron Crowell: Does it get so small because you're taking out pieces that won't work? Maria Turnpaugh: Yes. They're just no good to use. It's the inner blade that is not hard, doesn't get very hard. Some of that grass is so nice and soft, even after it's dried. But it's hard to get any grass anymore, you have to get them out away from the sea spray, because the salt water hardens it.
Mary Bourdukofsky: The salt water makes it break easily, even after you wash it. Maria Turnpaugh: After you get it all bundled up, you take it back up and wash it with Joy soap and rinse it real well. And then you can hang it out in the sun. They say if you want to bleach it more, you put it out when the sun is shining in the winter, and it bleaches grass up really good. I tried that once but it didn't work, but I guess I didn't do it right. That's a lot of work. Aron Crowell: Did people ever color the grass? Mary Bourdukofsky: Yes. Maria Turnpaugh: You could use blueberries and there's this red clay-like -what is it- ocher. There's places on Unalaska that have it, but it's on private property now. And tea and coffee for the browns. Mary Bourdukofsky: Tea makes it a pretty color. Maria Turnpaugh: And some of the wildflowers, like the iris, make really pretty dark blue. Aron Crowell: So would you need to get the juice and soak the grass in the juice? Maria Turnpaugh: Soak it, yes. I saw these beautiful Hooper Bay [Yup'ik] baskets, and I was talking to an old lady and asked her how she dyed it that way. I just couldn't figure out how beautiful they were, how shiny. She said Rit dye [laughs]. I was so disappointed. I thought I was going to learn something new. Aron Crowell: One of the Yup'ik ladies told us they used crepe paper. Because the color comes off it so easily, you just soak it in water. Maria Turnpaugh: They used to do that a long time ago too I remember. Mary Bourdukofsky: Yes, and onion peelings. Maria Turnpaugh: Onion skins make a pretty yellowish [color].
Weaving Maria Turnpaugh: It's easier to weave if it [grass] is moist. If it's not so moist, it breaks all the time. You have to do that as you go along. We usually keep a little glass of water to dip our fingers in. That's why I always let it soak for a while. Mary Bourdukofsky: Yes, I keep dampening my grass. Daria Dirks: So how many [weaves] do you usually start out with Maria? Maria Turnpaugh: Six. How many do you have? Daria Dirks: Between six and eight. Mary Bourdukofsky: Your spokes [weaves], are they raffia? Maria Turnpaugh: You use raffia because grass breaks so easily if you're first learning, I let them use raffia. You use grass for the weavers. I'll show you. I am twisting my weaves, the ones that hang down. Mary Bourdukofsky: Do you tie yours or twist it for starting? Maria Turnpaugh: I tie it. Mary Bourdukofsky: I tie mine too. Maria Turnpaugh: I have [a bundle of] six strands of raffia for my weaves. I get it in the middle and get my weaver, and I tie it around the middle [leaving a short end and a long weaver]. Then I take the grass weaver, put it around my finger. And then I take this strand [weaver], twist it, and take this [weave] and exchange it with this other one [weaver], pull that [weave] up, and then the next one [weave] I pull over and exchange the weaver. And the next one [weave] the same, until you get to this one here [6th weave]. And I take and turn it. I take the weave-I'm starting on my second row-and put the weaver in between the two weaves and exchange. You kind of twist your grass as you go, and you keep this finger here underneath it [flat circle of woven grass] for tension. Exchange, twist, exchange, twist, exchange, twist . . . and you've got the beginning of your little circle here [at center]. Aron Crowell: So is it the weave that increases in diameter, because you're making the bottom now?
Maria Turnpaugh: Yes, and you do this for a couple of rows. When there's a space about that much [approximately 1/8 inch] between the grasses, you add one of the weavers. Maria Turnpaugh: So, now there's a space [in woven grass], so I'm going to add a weaver there. I put that in [between woven grass] about that far, couple of inches or inch or so, and weave that in with the next grass. You anchor it like that so you don't pull it out when you go around again. Daria Dirks: Mine kept coming out. Maria Turnpaugh: If you don't anchor them, they'll keep coming out, and it's frustrating. Some people don't, but I do. And you weave on, and then you add another one. Aron Crowell: When women are making baskets, is this something that you get together to do? Maria Turnpaugh: Most of the time, mm-hmm. Mary Bourdukofsky: Yes, visit each other and chat along while you do it. Maria Turnpaugh: And then we have the serious ones who do it for money, that's their job. They weave all the time, every chance they get. Like some women with children that are the sole supporter of those children, they weave every chance they get. Learning basket-making Aron Crowell: Who did you learn basket-making from? Maria Turnpaugh: Anfesia [Shapsnikoff] taught me. She was a famous Attu basketmaker. She did beautiful work. Mary Bourdukofsky: I think she went all over Alaska and taught. Maria Turnpaugh: She went to Fairbanks and Anchorage colleges to teach and to Kodiak. She even went down to Lower-48. Aron Crowell: Mary, how did you learn?
Mary Bourdukofsky: My mom taught us, and then I had no interest in it so I dropped it for maybe twenty years or so. And then I went to Anchorage and I met Anfesia, so I picked it up again. I said, "I know how." So she said, "I"ll come over to your house.” But I said, “I'm kind of lost, you know, when I try to make it again." She said, "I'll teach you how again." So I picked it up again from her. Because my mom died long ago, but I really should have learned from her. She said, "Oh, you learned it fast." Well, because I used to do it. Aron Crowell: You first learned when you were quite young? Mary Bourdukofsky: Yes, quite young. Maria Turnpaugh: I remember the first basket I made. I was eight years old, and I was so proud of that. When I think back on it, it looked like it had a bunch of warts on it. I gave it to my dad I remember. But I didn't keep it up because I had thirteen kids, and you just don't have time. Mary Bourdukofsky: Same with me, I had seven. They're all grown, and you start picking up the things you put aside. Aron Crowell: What are some of things that baskets are used for—not for s-le, but the way people would use them around the house? Maria Turnpaugh: Well, the fish basket with the big open weave was really quite popular, because you could carry food in it. And they'd even make baskets to carry water. They'd weave so tight and then the water would make them tight too. Mary Bourdukofsky: Carry water with it, that's what my mom used to say. Maria Turnpaugh: And I read someplace that they even used it for cooking.
