Fully Feathered Baskets

by Steve Wright

The great textile traditions of California Indian basketry delve deeply into culture and history. Of great significance to locating Francis Drake’s 1579 New Albion site are the fully feathered baskets described in The World Encompassed, the most comprehensive account of Drake’s circumnavigating journey. These renowned baskets were beautifully and uniquely fabricated by only a limited number of people groups in Northern California including the Coast Miwok who resided precisely where Drake landed. They, along with other renowned baskets were beautifully and uniquely fabricated

This is one of William Benson’s fully feathered baskets—shown in the inverted position—curated by the Smithsonian Institution.

Smithsonian Institution photo, shown according to terms of use : https://www.si.edu/termsofuse

by only a limited number of people groups in Northern California including the Coast Miwok who resided precisely where Drake landed. They, along with other tribes who reside in Northern California, have long designed and made baskets that have earned worldwide recognition, honor, and respect for their fine work and beauty. For generations, both women and men have created baskets of superlative technical and aesthetic distinction, especially these fully feathered baskets. Fully feathered baskets have been a key to locating Drake’s 1579 New Albion claim.

This Pomo fully feathered basket is curated at the Marion Steinbach Museum.

Image Courtesy of Steve Wright

This basket is curated at Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park. This worn basket is from a private individual donation, tribal origin unknown.

Image Courtesy of Steve Wright

This Pomo fully feathered basket is curated at the Jesse Peter museum; artist: Suzanne Holder. Meadowlark and Mallard feathers cover this stunning basket. The rim is decorated with Washington clam shell money beads, abalone shell dangles, and quail top knot feathers.

Wikimedia Commons Image

This Pomo fully feathered basket is curated at the Jesse Peter museum.

Among the people most active in preserving the traditional basketry culture from this California region near Drake’s landing, were Annie Burke and Elsie Allen. In the mid-twentieth century, Annie Burke defied the tradition of burying all of a deceased woman’s baskets with her. Annie instructed her daughter, Elsie Allen, to preserve them when she died. Elsie did so and then began years of supplementing it with her own baskets

and the many works of others. Because of this, many of the existing curated fully feathered baskets are due to their early efforts.

These fully feathered baskets are of particular and significant interest to those who study Francis Drake’s 1579 New Albion claim. The famed baskets are beautifully colored with a striking mat of feathers which are sometimes even iridescent. Along with the Coast Miwok with whom Drake interacted, only four other people groups—all who resided in Northern California—made these baskets: Pomo, Lake Miwok, Wappo, and Patwin. These groups all lived in an area concentrated near where Drake careened his ship. The coastal shores of this area—inhabited only by the Coast Miwok and Pomo—range roughly from the Golden Gate north to Fort Bragg, California. This one item compels historians to identify a specific length of North American coast to refine their search for Drake’s anchorage. They must concentrate their efforts within that narrow area.

This basket is almost exactly as the one described in The World Encompassed. It is curated in the Marion Steinbach Indian BasketMuseum and is of Pomo origin.

Image Courtesy of Steve Wright

This is because the earliest written account of California Indian baskets, including the fully feathered baskets, were recorded by Francis Fletcher, Drake’s chaplain. His description appears in the period publication of Drake’s voyage, The World Encompassed.

Their baskets were made in fashion like a deep boale, and though the matter were rushes, or such other kind of stuffe, yet was so cunningly handled, that the most part of them could hold water : about the brimmes

they were hanged with peeces of the shels of pearles, and in some places with two or three linkes at a place, of the chaines forenamed : thereby signifying that they were vessels wholly dedicated to the onely vse of the gods they worshipped ; and besides this, they were wrought vpon with the matted downe of red feathers, distinguished into diuers works and formes.

The last part of the paragraph is of particular importance: they were wrought upon with the matted down of red feathers, distinguished into diverse works and forms (modern spelling used). Baskets with predominately red feathers, such as Fletcher’s description wrought upon with the matted down of red feathers, are often referred to as sun baskets.

Sometimes, adornments would be added to these baskets. Traditionally, these decorative materials included clamshell disk beads, magnesite beads, and (well after Drake) glass trade beads. Non-native basket collectors will often label those fully feathered baskets—those also adorned with shells and beads—as jewel baskets. In addition to shells—such as white clamshell beads which were a form of currency—the precious mineral magnesite might be also used. It is often referred to as Pomo gold. Such baskets, like jewels, shine with beauty and were a treasured form of wealth. These types additional adornments are clearly described in The World Encompassed :

About the brims they were hanged with pieces of the shells of pearls, and in some places with two or three links at a place, of the chains forenamed : (modern spelling used).

This Pomo basket is curated at the Marion Steinbach Indian Basket Museum.

Image Courtesy of Steve Wright

Before these decorative materials were added, the feathers were woven into the fabric of the basket. To smooth them into a mat, various techniques were employed. The feathers used included quail topknots (black), meadowlark breast feathers (yellow), mallard neck and head feathers (green), acorn woodpecker head feathers (red), and bluebird and jay breast feathers (blue). As twentieth century laws encroached to limit feather choice, basket makers incorporated other feathers such as those from a pheasant.

These baskets are rare. One reason for this is that these baskets were very personal and traditionally destroyed at the owner’s death. Additionally, the Coast Miwok were missionized by Franciscan priests from Spain which resulted in much of their traditional culture being destroyed. Fortunately, even

though they are rare, the baskets from these peoples who made them are curated in museums across the globe and reside in private collections.

Fully feathered baskets hold a unique position in both indigenous Californian artistry and the historical record of Francis Drake's journey. The preservation efforts of individuals like Annie Burke and Elsie Allen, combined with the craftsmanship of generations past, have provided valuable insights into the convergence of cultural heritage and exploration. These meticulously crafted artifacts continue to inspire researchers, bridging the gap between the past and present to serve as tangible links to California's rich indigenous history.

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