Man in a Coffin 2 pattern

This pack basket with a flared top was made by Lizzie "Nannie" Youngbird, a Cherokee woman from western North Carolina. Pack baskets such as these were used to carry goods and foodstuffs. Their use died out by the early 1900s. The basket was supported on the back, secured to the head or shoulders using a strap, called a tumpline. This single weave basket is made from rivercane that has been dyed with bloodroot for its orange color. The design of the basket weave is the Man in a Coffin (or Man in a Casket) design with the "man" and "casket" on the diagonal.