The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-07
INDIAN INDUSTRIAL ART.
HOW TO MAKE POTS AND KET-
TIES, SHOES AND CLOTHES.

the Basket Making Eastern Indians.
Medicine Robes - The Enchanted
shield-Indian Pictorial Art.
Copyright 1917
DEADwooD, OAK, June 6.-I wonder II
n people of the east have any accurate
idea Of the domestic arts of the western In
dians, the arts which they possess by their
own initiative, apart from the teaching and
influence Of the whites. remember very
well in Canada and the northeastern states,
where Indians were pretty well domesti-
Gated on their little reservations, there were
comparatively few things which they did
besides an occasional days work on farm
or in a saw-mill, and the everlasting hunt
ing. trapping and fishing. They made
very gay baskets, colored with the
juice of bark and berries. in fanciful
designs They tanned deer skins and
made mittens and gloves of them for
sale. They made black and yellow moe
cssins, nearly always unornamented. and
sleds and snowshoes and bows and arrows
for the boys, and that was about all. pre-
sumo that by this time they have become
even more like the whites in their forms of
industry. OF course the days OF wampum
are long passed. The piece of which send
you a sketch is probably $50 years old. 1t
was made by an Indian Of the Iroquois or
Six Nations tribe in New York state, and is
of symbolic meaning. The four squares
represent four OF the Six Nations bound
together by tie, which the heart In the
middle signifies to be one of blood brother
hood. Both ends are imperfect. Il would
be easy to tell whether it was worked be-
fore or after the absorption Of the sixth
tribe if one knew whether one or two
squares were missing.
Circumstances have favored the plains
Indians in retaining their characteristic
industries. 1t is but very short time since
the white men came among them. There
is no market for baskets-ofJen no wood 10
make them of. The Indians have been kept
together in large bodies-have usually re-
tanned their old religion aud superstitions
and with them naturally the costumes of the
old days.
The survival Of the war shield is one curl
Gus illustration of this. OF course all In
dians know that q bullet will pierce a war
shield If it hits it, but they rely on the
magic denominations with which the shield is
made to turn the bullets aside. The shield
is medicine" and as such is still worn in
many fights. To make it the braves use
the thick skin about the neck OF
the buffalo-agency buffalo must per-
force answer, since the buffalo is no
more-end cut out q large round
piece and remove the hair. Then
"sweet lodge" is constructed. This is an
ordinary "wicklup,n small, round-topped
skin tent, into which a quantity of hot
stones have been carried. A number of
braves enter close the flaps and sit about in
a circle. holding the half-tauned piece OF
leather by thrusting their fingers through
Sits IN its edges. Water Is then dashed
upon the hot stones, and the steam ascend
ing shrinks and h6rdens the leather While
this is going on the Indians sing rude
dirge. which has been used by many genera
tions for the purpose OF imparting to the
shield the required magical qualities When
this Is finished the shield is dried, trimmed,
painted rudely with blue, red and yellow
earths, decorated with two streamers of
feathers, and is then ready for use
Some OF these shields are full quarter of
an inch thick and of almost Incredible
toughness. 1t is almost impossible to buy
real medicine shield. Objects called by
that name are sent east in Members, but are
usually only shield covers rudely decorated
and not medicine at all.
Skins Of buffaloss or wolves painted with
rude representations Of men, animals. fights
and hunting scenes are supposed to have q
magical power. A young friend OF mine
has very fine decorated wolf robe. which
was borrowed one day by a medicine man.
IL turned out that he wanted Ii 10 make
medicine to cure the squaw wife of a white
trader. My friend was inclined to believe
that the trader put quits as much faith In
the treatment as did bis wife.
The Sioux in this region are quite back
ward IN the more domestic and peaceful
arts. they make no pottery, although the
Mandans, an allied race, used to do some-
thing in that line. They buy the celebrated
Navajo blankets from the trading Utes. from
whom they also get their religious notions.
the Messiah craze, for instance The Sioux
are not directly acquainted with the Naya-
Jos, but know them as the Sapa Wichasha.
or dark Indians" Tue Sioux women do
however, make most wonderful blankets out
OF Dull or buffalo robes, embroiderinQ them
with rows of porcuplne auills patiently
wound with strips Of bark or grass in an in
nnitely laoorious fashion, and painted in
three colors.
The southern Indians, Pueblos and Nava-
JOS, have considerably more constructive
skill. The Pueblo Indians have long been
famous Tor their skill as potters, and really
make very creditable bowls and pitchers.
though they are better known in the east
by their grotesquely ugly idols. Tho pottery
Ii both cheap and good, is well though very
roughly glazed. and the ornamentation Il
effective II rude. Everybody knows that
the Navajo blankets, woven upon the rudest
on looms, have recognized market value
them simply Spanish blankets
THERE'S an almost infinite variety of
minor articles Of clothing made by the In
dams. Feather war head dresses are still
made TO a slight extent. Figured bucsskin
shirts are more common. OF course they
are never washed. Moccasins, made in the
old style with beaded fringe ornamentation
still alternate with boots and shoes of pro
saic Eastern fashion; pappoosss are still
carried In deliberately decorated bags look,
ing like magnificent watch pockets, and
boys still play warrior with bow and arrow.
though their fathers have long ago given
up anything less destructive than rifles
Not ovormuch clothing is worn in hot
weather, however, and in winter a blanket.
white mans t-off vest and trousers. and
pair OF moccasins make fair average
outfit.
Akin to the artistic and Industrial achiye-
rnents Is the Indian sign language or pict-
ure writing This is much more elaborate
and capable of greater variety of expression
than might be supposed, and almost ranks
with the Egyptian bleroglyphs or Assyrisn
cuneiform characters. As good an example
as can be found OF this writing is the ac-
cepted form Of representing battle. This
consists Of a simple arrangement of horse
shoe curves and straight lines The horse
shoe curves are arranged in two positions
facing each other, the convex portion