The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-12-01
APACHE HOMES.
DOMESTIC LIFE OF THE CRUEL
EST OF INDIAN TRIBES.
Circular Dwellings Of Brush-Inte.
rior Arrangements-K
Warm-Utensi1s in Com.
mon Use-Water Jugs.

They live in circular brush huts, u-,oah,
about five feet high, and from six to
eight feet in diameter. To make one a
hollow space is excavated with sharp
sticks and their hands, and the earth is
banked up around the circumference, un-
til they have a bowl-shaped depression
about foot and half deep. Around
. the edge of this bushes and branches OF
trees are stuck, bent over and fastened
together to form round top. In winter
It is thatched with grass, tule or soap
weed, 80 that it will shed rain. An open
ing is left on one side, which serves as
an outlet for smoke, as we'll as door
way. The fire is made just inside the
opening. For bed they break up the
ground, let it dry, pick out the stones
and then spread down dry grass. Seeds,
meat, buckskins, extra clothing, &C.,
are hung outside on upright poles. For.
merly only few huts were usually found
together, and they were occupied by
members of one family, as these people
had to scatter over the country in small
parties and move frequently in order to
obtain sufficient supply of food; but in
seasons of plenty villages of about one
hundred souls would be formed, when
the huts of each family were always
built in group by themselves.
A very small fire suffices them, and
they never waste wood by building large
ones, even in winter, or when wood IS
very abundant. When cold, one warns
himself by squatting down and wrapping
hrs blanket around him and the fire. 10
kindle fire, they resorted to the fire.
drill before the introduction of the flint
and steel and matches, but usually pre-
served Goals in the ashes to avoid the Ia
bor of drilling. o oh me-te-kwa-tc,
"Make the fire blazy," is the common
expression still used, even when the fire
is to be kindled by means of match. A
slow torch, made of dead wood, was car
ried in travelling. 1t enabled them to
make fire or smoke signals. by means of
which they could communicate with their
friends at pleasure, as well as to kindle q
fire at their next stopping pace. For a
dill, they use piece of the stem of the
ooh kad-ie, or "fire stick bush," about
two feet long and half an inch thick.
They dip one end in the sand, then press
ing it in a shallow depression made in a
piece of dry soft wood, such as the stalk
of the Yucca, which is laid on the ground
and held by the foot, whirl it between the
hands. In few seconds the friction pro-
duces a small quantity of very fine char
coal, which, when rolled out on some dry
grass or bark fiber, and given light puff
or two, bursts into flame.
Basket-ware and vessels OF pottery are
in common use. Their manufacture is
confined to the women, who own all
such property. Unglazed carthen ves-
sells, of various sizes, for domestic pur-
poses, such as pots, a-mat, to cook IN,
with a capacity of from two to three
gallons, large shallow bowls to hold food,
and water jugs with globular bodies and
narrow necks, a-mat, ha-thi-wa and So
wah, the largest holding as much as four
gallons, are made out of red clay. Some
of them are decorated with one or two
horizontal bands and zigzag lines painted
in darker or lighter-colored clay. They
all have convex bottoms, and are thin
and very brittle. None of them have
feet. but those used for cooking pur-
poses arc supported over the fire on three
stones. o-kuth-ku.mi. The molding is
done entirely by hand, in the lap or on
the ground, vet the vessels are quite
symmetrical in shape. The clay OF
which they are formed is dried, ground
on q metltc and then worked into a
dough with saliva, and wat,r which has
been rendered mvcilaginous by boiling
cactus in it. The bottom of the vessel
is formed of a lump Of the dough, which
is pressed into shape with the hands,
and the rest is built up of rolls,
each one of which adds about one inch
to its height, and is allowed to dry lit
tie before another is added. Cne hand
on the inside and the other on the out
side press and smooth the clay to give
the vessel its proper contour and thick
ness. Saliva is used freely on the hands
to facilitate the work. After vessel is
completely formed it is thoroughly dried
in the sun or near the fire, and tn n
burnt by itself in an open fire. Strong,
light, globular jugs, to carry water in, are
made by covering loosely-woven basket
work with pitch or red clay. These have
two small loops or handles on the largest
part of the body for the attachment of a
string or band, by which the jug is car
ried on the back suspended from the
head. They vary in size from mere toys
to those having a capacity OF four gal.
Ions, and every woman, and every girl
down to the age of three or four years.
nossesses one or more of them. They arc
one of the most important articles OF
their manufacture, as, during certain sea-
sons of the year, water is very scarce in
their country, and often has to be car.
ried long distances. The strength and
lightness of the jugs recommend them
to other Indians, who frequently procure
them in trade.-Anserican Antiquarian.