First Nations Baskets at the Yale & District Historical Society

The Collection

(click on the image for larger image and complete information)

Image	Catalogue Number	Object Name
	1994.002.002	Cup with Arrow Design
	1994.002.005	Frying Pan
	1994.002.006 ab	Diamond Pattern Bowl with Lid
	1994.002.007 ab	Bowl with Lid
	1994.002.008 ab	Diagonal Squares Bowl with Lid
	1994.002.012 a	Wing Design Hot Plate Mat
	1994.002.012 b	V Design Hot Plate Mat
	1994.002.013 ab	Rattles
	1994.002.014 a	Red & Black Ring Plate
	1994.002.014 b	Diamond Pattern Plate
	1994.002.014 c	Diamond Pattern Plate
	1994.002.020	Bowl with Open Weave Rim
	1994.002.021	Zig Zag Bowl
	1994.002.022	Bowl with Interlocking Ovals

Yale & District Historical Society

About Us:

Yale and District Historical Society was formed in 1977 to gather, preserve and share Yale’s past while establishing and maintaining St. John the Divine Church (1863) and Creighton House (1870) on its original site. Today Yale and District Historical Society (YDHS) is a non profit registered charitable organization that has taken on the contract to maintain and operate the Yale Historic Site.

Our Baskets:

Since its inception in 1977 dedicated volunteers have collected, gathered and recorded the areas history. Some of the most significant items in the Yale and District Historical Society’s collection are the First Nations Cedar Root Basketry. The first baskets came to us in the early 1980’s and volunteers at the time made a note of including not only the donor but the basket maker in the catalogued information. In the 1990’s Mrs. Aida Freeman donated over 20 Nlaka’pamux baskets to the Society and a note was once again made of those baskets with known makers.

Today, these baskets provide the Society and other researchers a way to identify certain consistencies in a maker’s particular imbrication style or design. Often the baskets condition provides insight into whether their intended use was for commercial/decorative or practical application. There are a number of baskets in the Society’s collection that were used in practical application and are either stained or worn in certain places. However, the majority of the baskets donated by Mrs. Aida Freeman are in very good condition indicating that they were either used lightly or preserved for decorative purposes.

Yale & District Historical Society
P.O. Box 74
Yale, BC, V0K 2S0

Phone (604) 863-2324
Fax: (604) 863-2495
E-Mail: ydhs@uniserve.com
Web Site: http://www.historicyale.ca/