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How did Pomo, Hupa, Yurok, and Karok basket makers create watertight baskets?
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Basketry
Overview of basketry on Madeira Island, Portugal.
The Pomo, Hupa, Yurok, and Karok peoples of northern and northwestern California achieved watertightness in their basketry through the use of exceptionally tight weaving techniques.12
By employing highly skilled, close-twining methods, these weavers created containers with such dense construction that they could hold liquids without leaking. These baskets were frequently used for cooking; because the vessels were watertight, food or water could be boiled within them by dropping hot stones into the liquid.123