BASKET WEAVER HOME CULTURAL BACKGROUND 1. Baskets Past and Present 2. Symmetry in Alaskan Baskets 3. How to Weave a Basket SOFTWARE TEACHING MATERIALS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CSDT HOME

Alaskan Basket Weaver

What is symmetry? (continued)

If you have the same shape reflected in both directions (top-bottom, left-right), it is called four-fold symmetry. Four-fold symmetry is a deep design theme in many Native American cultures. It is used as an organizing principle for religion, society, and native technology. Many native languages, for example, use base four counting. Teepees are often made with four base poles, each placed in one of the four directions. Prayers are often offered to "the four winds." To the right is a Tlingit design that displays four-fold symmetry.

(Image scanned from Paul, Frances. 1944. Spruce Root Basketry of the Alaska Tlingit. Lawrence, Kansas: Haskell Press.)