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Show i9oo] INDIAN RELIGION 259 discernible. Conventional modifications have naturally arisen, and strict rules which the artist may not transgress in his creation seem to have been developed^ In a word, the aim of the north Pacific decoration seems to be to portray as much of the pattern animal as possible; and in order to accomplish this, the method employed is such dissection ' and distribution of the parts as may be necessary, i \ South of Vancouver Island and east of the coast mountains the type of decorative art changes completely . v New motives are introduced and geonfletri- „ -. cal designs are substituted for the type just described, the plateaus and in California basketry is the chief vehicle of decoration, and plants, artificial objects, and geographical features offer most of the suggestions for designs. ^- The decorative art of the eastern tribes was meagre, and practically nothing is known of its significance. On the plains the decorative impulse expends itself mainly on the rawhide parfleches and in bead- work, the designs in both fields having a symbolic and often intricate character. The point of interest here is the variation in method of interpretation of designs of the same general type> xIn each group the symbolism seems to be determined by the mental character of the people, and we find religious, military, hunting, or industrial interpretations as the case may be. In the southwest the opportunities are more numerous, pottery, basketry, and blankets offering a field for artistic creation |