The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1886-04-10

Another Interesting Wnshing.
ten Letter.

WASHINGTON. ID. c., April s.
Lieut. p. II. Ray, U. ). "a, who had
command of the Point Barrow Ex-
petition, in which was our towns
man John Guseman, has recently
sent to the National Museum a col
lection of articles made and used by
the Indians of the upper Klamath
river, Cal, called the Hoopas, of the
Time or Athabascan stock. Es-
pecially interesting objects in this
collection are the spear heads of
obsidian, leaf-shaped knives of flint.
hammers, pestles and dishes of
stone. These are indentical with
the implements classed as pre-his-
toric and their mode of use among
these Indians has cleared up several
points not hitherto settled by arch
biologists. From generation to gen
Grafton have these implements been
handed down and now some of them
are in use only by the old men, the
conservative members of the tribe.
None are made now; the superior
tools of the white man take their
place. These implements with the
arrows tipped with beautifully
wrought
ARROW heads of flint and jasper,
Arrow heads of chalcedony."
carry to our minds with force the
fact that the stone age on this con
4 tinent is not far back, even at this
day it survives among those tribes
as yet little disturbed. These In
dams have several kinds of money;
dentaliums, shell named from its
resemblance to a tooth, and skins of
bright plumaged birds, the bright
scarlet bit on the red-headed wood
pecker currant and highly valued.
The dentaliums or "alligochick"
which are often spirally wound with
strips of fish skin, grass and stems
of maiden hair fern, pass for 25
cents each. The bird skins are
either mounted on a band of buck
skin forming hat or fastened
around cluster of three plant rods
forming plume to be worn in the
dance or on occasions of ceremony.
These hats and plumes are valued
at from % to 40 dollars in Indian
money. The dentalium box is made
of a section of elk's horn followed
out through slit on the side. 1t is
closed by passing several turns of
strip OF buckskin around securing
the latter by tucking the end un-
der.
Toilet articles are represented by
coarse brush, head scraper, a
cylindrical bone graphically de
scribed as louise crusher, which is
put under the hair and rolled'against
the head for the purpose, and straight
hairpins of bone, sharp at both ends,
formerly used to thrust through the
quene to transfix an enemy's hand
grasping it.
In basketry are many specimens
of neat handiwork. The list com
prises large hampers used in storing
acorns which are much used for food,
dishes, hats, hoppers for the acorn
mill, salmon serving baskets, etc.
This basketry is woven of grass and
asiers and ia often decorated, the
patterns woven in dyed grass and
the jet black glossy stems of the
maiden-hair fern. Most of these are
woven SO closely that they will hold
water and in fact, most of the YES
sells used in the domestic economy
are of basket work. The vessels in
which the acorn meal is cooked by
dropping in hot stones is of closely
woven grass, as are the dishes for
serving the mush.
The mill in which the acorns are
pounded with long pestles of stone,
has hopper of basket work which
rests ON fiat stone. The mill is
set in large shallow basket serv-
ing to catch the meal. The acorn
loses its bitterness and becomes pal
atable on being cooked.
Among the articles of dress may
be mentioned some Of an ornamental
and others of ceremonial use. Long
necklaces of black pine nuts are
common, and occasionally one Of
small white shells is seen. Strips of
the glossy fur of the otter and err
mine, and bright bits Of bird pelts
are worn. Rattles Of strips Of bright
hued haliotis shell and others made
of pendents deer hoofs which clang-
ing together make singulariy loud
noise, supply mainly the music of
the dance. The dance dress and
apron are surviving relics of print
tive clothing, the place of which has
been taken by dresses of New Eng
land prints of outrageous colors. The
dance costume is a piece of buck
skin about 2S in. wide and AZ in.
long having at each end heavy
fringe of thongs at the ends of
which are fastened shells, pine nuts,
buttons and ip one dress the fringe
is decorated with numerous brass
thimbles which jingle like little
bells to the motion of the dance.
The dance apron is a piece of long
fringe about a foot wide. Each
thong is partly plated over with
yellow grass and partly strung with
pine nut beads and is terminated
with shells, etc. 1t is a pretty arti-
Gle of clothing. The firemaking ap-
paratus of these Indians is very sim
pie and a description may prove in
teresting. 1t is Of two sticks Of
wood. One piece about I in. thick
and p in. wide is the hearth and
has usually several shallow circular
depressions from which little cutters
lead down the side of the piece to
where the punk or finder is placed.
The other piece is a slender rod and
is placed in one of these cavities and
twirled between the palms of the
hands till the coveted spark falls
down the groove and ignites the punk.
1t is said that it often requires the
labor to exhaustion of three Indians
in turn to get fire by this drill. 1t
is much inferior to the bow drills
used among other tribes. Though
this is an interesting subject | must
no longer transgress on your patience.
At some other time ] hope to give
an account of the recently acquired
Corean collection from that remark
ohio NT aud of tho morning colr,,'