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Historically, most larger Columbia River Plateau twined bags were used to gather and store various types of edible roots that the Native American tribes who lived in the region used for food during the long winter months. However, as increased contact with white settlers led to major changes in the culture of the Plateau peoples over the course of the late 19th and 20th centuries, the range of bag forms and functions gradually expanded. In particular, there was a shift toward forms like handbags, purses, and other small personal bags whose shapes were better suited to the modern lifestyle. Although all of the bags in this SECTION originally fulfilled some sort of utilitarian purpose, the presence of carefully executed decorative designs on even the earliest examples cautions us to avoid a strictly functional interpretation of their role in their creators’ daily lives. |