With National Science Foundation support, the Denver Museum of Natural History will curate its collection of native North American basketry. This includes approximately 1,700 items made by 92 native American tribes. In the first step of a four part plan, documentation will be updated. Records will be supplemented, descriptive data checked out and uniform information entered in catalogs. This will improve the research data and lay the groundwork for a computerized data base. Secondly, the museum conservator will survey conditions, perform minor stabilization and produce a basketry conservation plan. In the third phase of the project, baskets will be rehoused with mounts and supports in new cabinets. Inventorying, labeling, and recording of storage locations will take place. Finally, a summary guide to the collection, related records, research potential, policies and procedures will be published. The collection constitutes a significant resource because of both its breadth and its depth in specific areas. It documents an almost 200 year period since some of the baskets were collected in the early 1800s. Collecting has continued until recent times and many of the items have detailed supporting documentation. In some cases, the names of the craftsmen are known. From an anthropological perspective, the collection provides a strong data base to address a number of questions and not all of these concern basketry per se. Through the study of such material objects, insight can be gained into the nature of culture contact and culture change over time. Because of the imperfect state of the documentation and storage the basketry collection is difficult to use and therefore not maximally available for scientific research. This project should remedy the situation.
