Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-03-12
AMONG LOUISIANA INDIANS,
Ancient Customs That Are Passing Rap
idly Away.

The first tribe | succeeded ia locating
were the Chjtimacha- The old Chit.
| lnacha language. which is still spoken
ny Il Few. has IL peculiar sound to the
unarcuStomed ear on account of the
large number of ''Sh'' sounds. Ii is eS-
! peclaiiy Interesting, however. because il
has no known affiliations. is like no 9th
er Indian language aud So forms a lin.
guistlc stock all hy itself. French is
spoken by all the tribe now. aud as it
has become the language of common use
the Indian tongue will soon he lost for
ever The old dances aud customs have
already become obsolete. although stir
remembered 10y the older people; and the
Indians hive as do their French neigh
hurS.
One old art, and one only, is still kept
up III something like it's original purity,
the art of making fine baskets of came
baskets whoseS fadeleSs ColorS are a Joy
to all lovers of Indian handiwork The
Cmtimucha are compelled nowadays to
travel twenty or thirty miles to get their
cane for basket making. Once gathered
and brought home, it is carefully split
and laholouSly SCraped until only the
hard outer shell of the stalk is left
when It is ready for coloring aud use.
The black color seen in Chitima"ha haS-
ketS is made with black walnut shells.
which are boiled with the bundles OF
the color is sufficiently set. The yellow
Is secured by soaking the cane splints
eight days IN lime water made with
burned shells of the fresh water muSsel;
the red is produced by boiling the cane.
already dyed yellow with lime, in mash
made Of the roots of a wood called
"po-ash.' Tie baskets are made in
many shapes and sizes, many of Them
douhle--two complete baskets one inside
the other, united at the edges, Many
patterns are used, To which are given
such names as worm. SNAKE, ALI
gator entraiiS,' perch, bears ear
ring, "hlackhird's eye" aud "musCadine
peehng.' Blowguns hand made pottery
vessels aud silver ornaments had been
used with the memory of all the older
people but none could be found ut the
time of my visit
| found fossil shell thought to have
the power of making rain The method
of use was to place the "kash,' MS il
was called. in bowl of water. which
would be promptly absorbed into the
stone. storm was supposed to be
gin within short time after this was
done. the fury of which was bound to
increase until the charm was removed
from the water and m appropriate fOI-
mula repeated. When found the rain
stone it was swathed H. a large white
cloth to keep il dry aud | only sue
ceeded in buying it 10y promising to
keep it away from water
The Houma tribe, near Ilouma, Terre-
bonnie parish. is now nearly extinct, only
two or three persons being found who
can claim pure Indian blood. The Hou-
ma language, which belongs to the Mus
kogean stock and is closely related To
the Choctaw, is remembered today by
two old women only and one of these
has forgotten much of whIt She knew
of the Indian tongue. Strange 40 say,
this very woman remembers some char
acteristic Indian songs. French is the
prevailing language today. and the Hos
ma live like the white people about
them. Even the art of basketry has
| been Southern Workman