16

The hide was then sewn up one side, leaving both ends open.
The hide was hung over a low fire of coals. A certain kind of wood
was burned to smoke the hide. It was smoked to the desired color.

Finally the hide was ready to cut and sew into moccasins or shirts
or a buckskin dress.


10

Hunting was a main part of Indian life. The deer was a very
precious animal to the people. The hides were used for blankets and
clothing. The bones were used for tools and needles for sewing. The
Indians used every part of the deer and ate the meat which could feed
a lot of people.

The men of the tribe who were chosen for hunters took the
young boys to learn to hunt.


ee! THE INDIAN READING SERIES:
“% Stories and Legends of the Northwest



Our Home Then and Now


17



10.

1

Booklets available in the Level IV sequence are listed below. Numbers refer to the Planned Sequence of use
in the Teacher’s Manual. Materials developed by these tribes and others in the Northwest are included in
the Levels I, I] and III sequences.

nt

. Warm Springs Animal Stories

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

. Snail Women at Sq*a'le

The Suquamish Tribe of the Port Madison
Reservation

. Blue Jay - Star Child/Basket Woman

Muckleshoot Tribe

. Assiniboine Woman Making Grease

Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Peck Reservation

. Coyote

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

How the Summer Season Came
Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Belknap
Reservation

. Little Weasel’s Dream

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

. Fort Hall Stories

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall
Reservation

The Bear Tepee
Northern Cheyenne Tribe

Sioux Stories and Legends
Sioux Tribe of the Fort Peck Reservation

. Kootenai Stories

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

Chief Mountain’s Medicine

Gros Ventre Tribe from the Fort Belknap
Reservation

Coyote the Trickster

Burns Paiute Reservation

Running Free

Shoalwater Bay

Salish Coyote Stories

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

Coyote and the Cowboys
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall
Reservation

Napi’s Journey

Blackfeet Tribe

Warm Springs Stories

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

Tepee Making

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

Baskets and Canoes
Skokomish Tribe

Warrior People
Blackfeet Tribe


—

14

The deer hide was then put intoa
container and soaked with the brains
of the deer. It was soaked until it was
soft. The deer hide was then taken out
of the soaking solution and wrapped
around a tree. The hide was wrung out
as dry as it could be. This sometimes
took half an hour, depending on the
thickness of the hide. After it was un-
wound and wrung out dry, it was ready
to be put on the tanning frame.


U\° h
Si bia

Canisen

Then as the times changed, our houses changed. We began to live in
houses with two, maybe three rooms. We had tables to put our food on and chairs
to sit on. Beds were made with feather mattresses and wood. Wool blankets
replaced the animal skins. We had kerosene lamps to replace the fire.
Automobiles replaced horses.

6


Some families built a
larger house to live in during
the winter. This house was
made of fir poles. Tule mats
were fastened together in
layers on top of the poles. The
fires for cooking and heating
were built in the center of
the dirt floor.

Tule mats were spread on the floor to serve the food on or to sit on. Beds
were made of fir boughs and wild rye grass. In the morning, the branches and
grasses were just gathered up and set aside on the wall of the lodge. Everything
had its place and there was a lot of room inside. Indian people used the tule
mat for many things.


Long ago when I was a boy, our
people lived in tule mat huts. Some of
the people were chosen to go to the
marshy places along the river, to cut the
tule reeds. I remember the fun we had
playing along the river. We caught fish
while the women cut the tule.

A frame of willow branches was
set into the ground and a small trench
was dug around it.

The tightly
bound tule mats were
then tied onto the wil-
low frame. The mats
were layered on top of
each other for warmth.
Animal hides were
tightly tied over the
tule mats to keep the
wind out. I remember
it was snug and warm
in the tule mat hut.

During the winter nights, we listened to the story-teller. A fire for cooking
and heat was built in the center of the hut on the dirt floor. A hole was left in the
top of the hut for the smoke to go through.

2


The hide was stretched and laced
ona frame. It was poked gently with a
blunt stick or deer antler to soften the
hide. This was done very carefully in
order not to poke a hole through the
hide. The women poked it until it was
dry. After it was dry, it was unlaced and
taken off the frame.

Css
hi PULLS




Warm
springs
Stories

The
Indian

Reading
Series

Vice

evel IV Book 18



No more do we hear the first morning call of the bird or listen for the call of
the wild elk. No more do we listen to find water, and hear it as it gurgles merrily
along its way to the great waters. Now, we hear the stereo, the cassette, or
the radio.

Our time is spent watching television, movies and having parties. Rivers
are suffering from the pollution. The sky is not bright anymore from too much
smoke. The animals, birds, and fish are not plentiful any more.


Today, we live in a big house, six or seven rooms. Running water! No more
carrying water from the river! We even have lights and heat from wires called
electricity. Most of our food is already cooked when we buy it from a store. There
are microwave ovens that cook for us, washing machines that wash clothes for
us, dishwashers that wash dishes for us.


The tule was cut in the fall of the year and tied into bundles, keeping
them as straight as possible while they dried.

The tule mat was made by cutting the tule all the same length. Then it
was sewn together and tied at each side.

The mats were made to whatever length a person wished. The length
depended on whatever they were being made for. They were very useful.

The tule mats were used in making the longhouse. The longhouse is a
place where council talks, social dances, funerals, and other events are
held, as well as religious ceremonies.

Tule mats were also used in the marriage ceremonies, the bride sat on the
mat during the ceremony.

Before the coming of the coffin, our people used the tule mat to wrap
around the dead person before putting the body into the ground.

When spring came, we would take our winter lodge down and bundle it
up. We left the poles, branches, and mats tied together in a tree so they would be
there to put up again next winter.

In the spring, the families moved to the mountains and the hills. Here
they would dig the roots and pick berries to be prepared for winter food supply.
When I was a boy, my family had a two room house made of boards up in the
mountains. In the house was a wood stove to cook on. We spent our days picking
berries and gathering reeds and grasses for making baskets.


CAROL ALLISON

GPO. 1982—593.665

18


Developed by the Pacific Northwest Indian Reading and Language Development Program
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 300 Southwest Sixth Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97204

Copyright © 1981 by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon
All rights reserved.

The work upon which this publication is based was performed pursuant to Contract
No. 400-80-0105 with the Educational Equity Group/Multicultural/Bilingual Division
of the National Institute of Education. It does not, however, necessarily reflect the
views of that agency.

Printed and bound in the United States of America




The deer hides were tanned to
make warm clothes for the winter. The
hides were first soaked in water for
three or four days, or long enough so
the hair would come off the hide easily.
The hair was scraped off with a
scraper. The other side was also
scraped clean of all pieces of meat
and fat.

o
l
f
! / y.
Vgwy tua Pra)

13


THE INDIAN READING SERIES
Stories and Legends of the Northwest

Our Home Then and Now

How Deer Hide Was Tanned
Level IV Book 18

By members of the Warm Springs
Reservation Committee

Verbena Greene, Coordinator
Jackie Estimo

Lillie Heath

Viola Kalama

Stella McKinley

Clara Moody

Ada Sooksoit

Christine Tom

Felix Wallulatum
Wilson Wewa, Jr.

Debra Smith, Illustrator
Carol Allison, Illustrator

Illustrated by Carol Allison

Joseph Coburn, Director
Pacific Northwest Indian Program
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory



THE INDIAN READING SERIES: Stories and Legends of the
Northwest is a collection of authentic material cooperatively devel-
oped by Indian people from twelve reservations. Development ac-
tivities are guided by a Policy Board which represents the Indian
community of the Pacific Northwest. The Pacific Northwest Indian
Reading and Language Development Program Policy Board mem-
bers are:

+ Warren Clements — Warm Springs
Chairman

+ Clement Azure — Devils Lake Sioux

+ Walter Moffett — Nez Perce

+ Emmett Oliver — Quinault

+ Bob Parsley — Chippewa

* Lloyd Smith — Warm Springs

+ Max Snow

+ Jeanne Thomas — Yakima


How Deer Hide Was Tanned


In camp the women prepared the meat for the winter. Most of
the meat was dried or made into pemmican.

12