Daily camera., 1897-09-28
INDIAN ARTISTS. Il Is
Skill of American Redmen In Met
al WORKING
Ornaments of Silver Fashioned In
Delicate Tracery by Crude I'm.
plements-MethOd of
Working.

''The majority of persons who view
articles of the American Indian worked
in metal, as exhibited in the museums
of the country, express surprise at the
proficiency disclosed" said one of the
curators at the National museum re-
Gently. Many of the amulets, armlets.
buttons and other decorations to be
found in the possession of the Indian
are of surprising finish and workman
ship. In silver especially are they
skilled. and the delicate tracing and out
line of the silver decorations are often
a source of wonder, even to those most
familiar with the red men of the plains.
Among the tribes most remote from
civilization-those who have not been
brought to agricultural pursuits, but
roam over the country as in the days OF
old-there is to be found scarcely an
Indian who does not possess numerous
articles of silver, which are worn in
lavish profuson. The smallest child in
the tribe is robed in skins fastened with
silver buttons and otherwise ornament
ed; indeed, it is a characteristic of the
Indian parent to lavish the extent OF his
wealth on the boy who will be his heir
if he survives life of strife. The beau
tiful buckskin, which, in finish, is like
that of undressed kid, is often heavy
with the weight of silver, and even the
tiny moccasins of the same skin are
adorned with buttons and fasteners Of
precious metal"
The ornaments of this class of Indian
are not of crude workmanship, but are
of excellent finish and design. The gen
eral conception of the Indian is that Of
an individual totally, or largely, devoid
of invention. There can scarcely be a
more erroneous impression. In place of
lacking capacities for invention, the In
dian, on the contrary, is person of
great inventive genius, and his crude
surroundings and the infrequent need
of exercising his talents prevent his ge-
MUS from being developed. In other
general tions and under other conditions
the inventive genius Of the Indian was
developed to an extent far beyond the
modern conception. The mound build
ers and the cliff dwellers have left mon
uments which display genius equal to
if not surprising the originality of the
modern inventor.
An attempt is being made by the Ma
tional museum to eliminate this ignor-
ance of the Indian, as far as it lies in
the scientists power. Consequently,
with this work of education in view,
the scientists are preparing groups Of
figures dealing directly with the life and
customs of the Indians, and as far as
possible forming fac-similes of the home
life of the uncivilized man, his code of
religious belief and worships, and the
aids which he employees in performing
the little work which his necessities re-
quire. Among the group of figures
which have recently been placed on ex-
hibition in the west hall of the museum
is one representing the methods em-
ployed in working silver into decora-
tions and useful articles.
Among other erroneous impressions
concerning the Indian is one that no
forge is used in melting metals. but
that the slow and rather unsatisfactory
method used is simply placing the melt
ing pot in bed Of glowing Goals. The
exhibit entirely dispels this impression.
The first thing to attract attention is
forge in crude state, it is true but en-
tirely adequate to meet all the demands
of the native silversmith. The bed of
the forge is of clay, on framework of
wood, and is raised little over two
feet from the ground. There are two
pairs of bellows, circular in form and
fashioned from buffalo hide. A handle
is attached to each pair, and they are
worked alternately, in much the same
manner as hand tricycles are propelled.
A steady flow of wind is thus insured.
The Indian seldom melts the quartz.
In preference the Mexican dollar is
melted and run into molds shaped to
his use. AT times the coin is hammered
to a thin sheet and then pounded into
molds or impressions which have been
followed out in the stone. In this way
are the buttons made, the rough edges
being smoothed off by continued fric-
ton on the hard sandstones.
The use of the blowpipe is also a IA
miliar art, and the eyes of the buttons
are attached to the oval button by this
means. The lamp is probably the crud-
est part of the whole exhibit tits SIM
ply rag covered with mass of buffalo
tallow and placed in an open dish of
metal, or on stone which has been hol-
lowed out for some such purpose Three
of the figures are represented as work.
ing, while the fourth, that of child, is
closely watching the labors of,hs elders
and anticipating the appearance of the
new ornaments on his already gorgeous
dress. The figures themselves are robed
in painstaking way, after the man
ner of the bona fide Indian, and are COW
cred with the best examples of the pro-
ficiency Of the race in metal work