the art and
the romance
of
indian basketry
clark field
clark field collection
philbrook art center tulsa 1964
Published by Philbrook Art Center
Tulsa, Oklahoma
1964
FOREWORD
The autobiographical information about Mr. Clark Field,which appears at the end of this brochure, briefly tells theinspiring story of well over four decades of dedication to—andsincere belief in—the American Indian as a creativeartist. The results of these many years of collectingIndian baskets (and pottery) are on permanent displayat Philbrook Art Center, in the Clark Field Collection; inaddition, many other specimens are in storage and availableto the scholar in the study collection. This brochureis not intended as a catalogue of all of the baskets in theClark Field Collection, which includes more than a thousandspecimens. Rather, it serves as an introduction toIndian basketry and tells the story of how baskets weremade and used. About 90 of the more important basketsare illustrated, including the most famous American Indianbasket, woven by Dotsolalee reproduced in coloron the cover.
Mr. Field has combined his enthusiasm for the art ofIndian basketry with a high degree of scientific scholarship.He has kept careful records, which will becomeincreasingly valuable as old specimens become even morerare and this Indian skill gradually dies out in this modernworld. His daughter, Dorothy Field Maxwell, has assistedMr. and Mrs. Field in their collection and with the preparationof this brochure. Mrs. Jeanne Snodgrass, Curatorof Indian Art at Philbrook, has also assisted with thebrochure in an editorial capacity.
Mr. Field has performed an invaluable service tohumanity in his long dedication to the preservation ofthis most important facet of the original Americans, andPhilbrook Art Center will be, for countless generations,a mecca for those who wish to enjoy this fascinating utilitarian,yet esthetically meaningful art form.
Donald G. HumphreyDirectorPhilbrook Art CenterClark Field
BASKETRY
The need for food containers in early human communitiesled to the “invention” of basketry. The firstbaskets may have been made of animal skin or twigs;but soon evolved into the use of more suitable materialssuch as vegetable fibres. Because of the organic materialsused in making baskets, most of the earliest exampleshave been lost through decay. A few examples have beenpreserved but only in areas of extremely dry climate,such as in Egypt, in Chile and Peru in South America, andin the southwestern United States. Radiocarbon tests ofwoven artifacts establish the existence and the use ofbaskets in Nevada, Utah and Oregon as early as 9000 to700 B.C., and that Egyptians of the pre-dynastic period(c. 5000 B.C.) used baskets. Early literary sources, suchas the Bible, mention baskets and other woven articles suchas the “ark of bulrushes” in which the infant Moses washidden (Exod. 2: 3, 53); baskets were used to bring thetithes to the temple, and Matthew talked of “twelvebaskets full.” (Matt. 14: 20.)
In the study of American Indian