Like their predecessors of decades past, these small Nuu-chah-nulth pika-uu (meaning “trinket basket”) are a charming thing to behold. This quartet of miniature baskets is finely woven from cedar bark, natural and dyed grasses, each decorated with stylized whales or whaling canoes that stand out vividly against the warm cedar ground. Some are topped with knobbed lids whose gently peaked forms recall historic Nuu-chah-nulth whaling hats in miniature, the subtle spiral of the weave reinforcing the association. Particularly remarkable is the survival of their colours. The red and other natural dyes traditionally used on Northwest Coast basketry are notoriously fugitive, often fading dramatically with time and exposure to light. That these baskets retain such vibrant decoration speaks both to their careful preservation and to the exceptional condition in which they have endured.