This excerpt serves as an example of a Mohegan basket going beyond its practical use. In the place of a letter or journal, a minister from the Mohegan community sent his sister a basket as a record of his journey. The basket, along with serving as a record of events, may have contained objects that tacitly revealed other aspects of his journey.

The author takes some liberty here in explaining the cultural significance behind the stylized leaves, strawberries, and even the individual dots. The designs, so carefully and intentionally applied, likely possess multiple layers of significance, and are certainly subject to multiple interpretations, but planr beings, interdependent relationships between the people and the land, and dots as people might be taking it too far. The author makes several claims of debatable accuracy, but fails to provide any citations of evidence. It's possible that this interpreter has begun "[allegorizing this] textual object out of its materiality." (J J Cohen, The Life of an Object)

http://www.inthemedievalmiddle.com/2014/04/the-life-of-object-digital-curation.html

By examining the tools used by the Mohegans, we take a direct look into their daily life and practice. The specialization of individual baskets testifies to the Mohegan's sophistication in the field of basketry. Additionally, the specialization of baskets raises questions about the baskets' ceremonial and utilitarian properties. Does a particular kind of basket play a stronger cultural role than others?

In response to an earthquake that damaged or destroyed hundreds of Italy's cultural and historical sites, the Italian minister of culture Dario Franceschini encouraged Italian's to visit museums located in regions hit hardest by the earthquake "as a sign of solidarity with the population." By destroying the buildings that once stood in these Italian historical sights, the earthquake reduced the cultural value of the area. This cultural value came simply from the age of the buildings that once stood in these regions, and more specifically from the generations of Italians that witnessed, maintained, or even lived and worked in the buildings.

The demolished buildings, without their humble presence in Italian history, are little more than rubble. Mohegan baskets are affected similarly by their practicality and humble presence in daily Native life. Without the ritualistic process of their creation and the understood meanings of their designs, Mohegan baskets are little more than baskets. However, "by touching every aspect of daily native life, both past and present, basketry is imbued with cultural and spiritual power."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/25/europe/italy-earthquake-historic-sites-damaged/

For an article focusing on the cultural significance of a object and its adornments, a visual understanding of the subject matter is crucial. Without the in-depth physical description provided at this point in the passage, the reader would be completely dependent on the black and white, single frame photo shown at the beginning of this excerpt. When it comes to the intricate color designs on the basket's exterior, the photo does not do the work much justice.

A common place of misconception is the absence of a common alphabet among early Native cultures. Although evidence of texts and manuscripts exists, these inscriptions don't always parallel the outreach or application of western alphabets. In terms of established alphabets early Native literacy is largely theoretical. However, by the standard of Native text beyond written word existing, widespread Native literacy becomes an arguable concept. The passage includes wood splint baskets, pictographic signatures, and painted plain tipis as possible examples of texts that may transcend written word.

Something to account for when considering objects as texts is the unintentional narratives that objects often tell about their makers, and origins. In the case of the Mohegan painted wood-splint basket, the painted exterior undoubtedly tells us much about the maker's concept of aesthetics, but the practical details such as the newspaper lining reveal far more about the Mohegan culture and the circumstances prompting the creation of the basket. For instance, the fact that a newspaper from 1817, Hartford, Connecticut was used as the basket's lining immediately orients the basket's creation both geographically and chronologically. The date and location provided by the newspaper do no give us exact historical coordinates, but they certainly serve as strong hints in the right direction.

The use of newspaper linings, an interesting display of Native cultures' innovative and adaptive inclinations, goes beyond just the Mohegan culture. Natives heralding from differing nations used this same peculiar method of protecting a basket's interior goods which introduces a third, intriguing quality of Native cultures: homogeneity in the way of invention and practicality. If practices as specific as the use of western newspapers on the interiors of baskets can be found from nation to nation of Native people, what other qualities of baskets are shared among nations, and can basket stylization be understood as text?

An excerpt from earlier in the reading sheds more light on the idea behind the creation of a wood splint basket as a communal process:

"Wood-splint basket making was not a solitary effort; it was one that involved contributions of labor from within the community." (pg 53)

In much the same way that a traditional novel follows a plotted course from author, to editor, to publisher, to binding companies, a Mohegan basket, from selection of the appropriate log to the binding of the final splint, is influenced by each member of the community that oversees its creation. The basket's completion and effectivity serve as testaments to the cohesive nature of the community, without need of signatures or individual accreditation.

The painted wood-splint basket, a practical day-to-day object, demonstrates the same reverence towards the eastern and western facing openings that are observed in Mohegan ceremonial arbor. This alone exemplifies the cultural significance of the basket. In what other context would a household item be adorned with a culturally prevalent design than the basket itself holding cultural significance?