Native American Basketry

This bibliography includes more than 1,100 entries from books, journals, newspaper articles, and dissertations concerning North American Indian basketry. More general cultural works with some information on basketry are also included, and the materials date from early ethnographic work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to 1987. . . . The introduction offers a good overview of research in Native American basketry, and although the annotations vary greatly in thoroughness and length, they are generally useful. This unique, well-produced bibliography is recommended for collections supporting programs in anthropology, crafts, or Native American Studies. ChoiceInterest in Native American basketry dates from the late 1800s, when an enthusiastic public, together with curators, academic collectors, and archaeologists, first began to appreciate the value and uniqueness of these beautiful hand-crafted artifacts. This bibliography is the first comprehensive guide to publications on the subject. Organized by major cultural areas of North America, it offers annotated listings of books, journal articles, dissertations, theses, monographs, and selected newspaper articles published over the last 100 years. In his introductory essay, Porter discusses the history of Native American basket making and the findings and views of some of the anthropologists, archaeologists, and popular writers whose works contribute to our knowledge of the subject. The bibliography is divided into eleven sections, each dealing with a specific geographical/cultural area. Entries are cross-referenced, and a comprehensive index gives convenient access to authors, titles, and subjects.

?Porter, author of several books on North American Indians, has organized over 1,100 entries by major cultural areas of North America. The short annotations are 1 to 15 sentences in length and describe the subject matter, geographic area, and special features of each source. The introduction presents a fascinating history of native American basket making from the late 1800s, including the socioeconomic reasons for its decline in the 1920s. Topics include techniques, collections, social significance, and ethnic traditions of Indian baskets. Native American Basketry will be useful to students, researchers, collectors, curators, and artists.?-Reference Books Bulletin, ?This bibliography includes more than 1,100 entries from books, journals, newspaper articles, and dissertations concerning North American Indian basketry. More general cultural works with some information on basketry are also included, and the materials date from early ethnographic work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to 1987. Entries are organized in chapters by the major cultural areas of North America, and the subject index provides access by tribe, individual basket makers, and subject. The introduction offers a good overview of research in Native American basketry, and although the annotations vary greatly in thoroughness and length, they are generally useful. This unique, well-produced bibliography is recommended for collections supporting programs in anthropology, crafts, or Native American studies.?-Choice, "Porter, author of several books on North American Indians, has organized over 1,100 entries by major cultural areas of North America. The short annotations are 1 to 15 sentences in length and describe the subject matter, geographic area, and special features of each source. The introduction presents a fascinating history of native American basket making from the late 1800s, including the socioeconomic reasons for its decline in the 1920s. Topics include techniques, collections, social significance, and ethnic traditions of Indian baskets. Native American Basketry will be useful to students, researchers, collectors, curators, and artists."-Reference Books Bulletin, "This bibliography includes more than 1,100 entries from books, journals, newspaper articles, and dissertations concerning North American Indian basketry. More general cultural works with some information on basketry are also included, and the materials date from early ethnographic work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to 1987. Entries are organized in chapters by the major cultural areas of North America, and the subject index provides access by tribe, individual basket makers, and subject. The introduction offers a good overview of research in Native American basketry, and although the annotations vary greatly in thoroughness and length, they are generally useful. This unique, well-produced bibliography is recommended for collections supporting programs in anthropology, crafts, or Native American studies."-Choice

FRANK W. PORTER III is Director of the Chelsea House Foundation for Indian Studies. He was previously the Director of the American Indian Research and Resource Institute in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Strategies for Survival: American Indians in the Eastern United States (Greenwood Press, 1986).