This QTVR Object movie was made by Jeremiah, a senior at Hannahville Indian School, a Potawatomi Indian school in Michigan. Here is the description:
This particular style of basket was used for gathering wild rice. These baskets were made in a variety of sizes. The largest baskets were placed in the bottom of the canoe to put the rice into when it was being gathered. Other sizes, like this one, were used for processing the rice. Wild rice gathers still use this style of basket.